


When Night is Dead

by blvsphemy



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - No Band, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Grim Reapers, M/M, Past Character Death, Reaper Tyler, Reapers, Supernatural Elements, its interesting i promise i just dont know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2019-10-27 06:19:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17761427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blvsphemy/pseuds/blvsphemy
Summary: When God left, it meant that the gates of Heaven and Hell closed.Tyler works as a reaper, collecting souls to deliver to makeshift holding sites.Josh was convinced he was going to go to Hell, but the reaper in his room had other ideas.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> based off the tumblr prompt _When God left, it meant that no one could die. You work as a reaper, not killing, but throwing people into a deep, deep hole to rot and be part of the earth._  
>   
>  i started writing this over a year ago, and i've been in love with the characters ever since. this is the first fic i've ever finished, i hope you enjoy it. i've been so anxious to get this out into the world and im really excited to finally be able to share this little reaper world ive created! i'd really appreciate comments of your thoughts!  
>   
> mild tw for mentions of suicide in this first chapter  
> 

_Tyler_

Tyler worked for no one, not for God, and not for Satan. He was a highly respected reaper, having gained his freedom from both entities thousands of years ago. He would never share precisely how he had managed such a feat, only saying that it required a great deal of blackmail and trickery.   
  
He worked strictly freelance, with access to both Heaven and Hell. Most reapers worked for either God or Satan, and were allowed only into their designated destination. Tyler got along fantastically with the reapers from Hell, but found Heaven’s reapers to be a bit too uptight for his liking. He liked to have a little fun sometimes, and the reapers from Heaven were never too pleased with him.

They respected him, of course, but that didn’t stop them from giving him some major side eye and attempting to report his antics to their boss. Unfortunately for them, no one had any control over Tyler. He could do whatever he pleased, and not even God could do a single thing to stop him. Some things were out of his control, it turned out. Reapers who had not been created by the big man himself were out of his reach. 

You could call him the grim reaper, he supposed, but Tyler wasn’t a fan of that name. He wasn’t some ghostly figure in a flowing black ropes with a scythe, he liked to think of himself as much more fashionable than that. Sure, maybe he had had a brief phase where he had dressed up as Death himself, but it was nothing but a bit of fun. 

Death, the  _ real  _ grim reaper, was an entirely different being than Tyler. Tyler had never met the guy, but he had heard great things about him. Tyler was hailed as a celebrity amongst the others of his kind, but he wasn’t the top reaper. That position still belonged to Death, but he was rarely seen, handling only high profile collections that not even Tyler was allowed near. He liked to consider himself to be second to the top, however. 

As far as he knew, he was the only other reaper besides Death that was unaffiliated with Heaven or Hell. It was a good gig, he enjoyed the freedom of thought that came with the job. He wasn’t tied to any particular mindset like the others were, instead allowed to think freely and for himself after cutting ties with Heaven and Hell.

Being able to do as he pleased, Tyler had a preference of which souls he collected. He liked the sad ones, the ones who had embraced death for themselves. They were far kinder and easier to deal with than the elderly, and didn’t ask nearly as many questions as the children. He liked to think of himself as a specialist at reaping suicidal teenagers in recent years, answering whatever questions they may have as he escorted them to their final destination. 

Most of them were scared, of course. He imagined it would be pretty frightening to be standing next to your unconscious body. It usually wasn’t pretty, as well, and he faced a lot of panic and bargaining from those he collected. Lots of regret in those young souls, but he was desensitised to it by now.

His job was simple. Collect assignments that reapers had dropped, or bargain with them for his preferred job. He didn’t have a quota to fill, but he liked to keep busy. He’d then arrive at the site, sometimes on time, sometimes early. Never late, though. He disliked to be late. Once the soul had left their vessel, it was Tyler’s job to answer whatever questions they had, and convince them to go with him. He couldn’t force them, but things were easier for everyone if they cooperated. 

He got a lot of questions, and it had been many centuries since he had heard a question he had not encountered before. They were all pretty standard, the poor souls asking “Why?” “Who are you?” “Where are you taking me?”, the typical things you would expect. Most would try to bargain, explain that it had been a mistake, that Tyler should let them back into their bodies. 

Back when he had first gained his freedom, there had been a few instances where he had allowed them back into their vessels, but he quickly learned that that was generally a bad idea. Once a soul had left their body, it was very difficult to get it to cooperate once it was put back in. Despite how much the soul consciously wanted back into its body, there were subconscious ideas that were planted into the soul once it passed into the veil, which led to a very unstable and destructive soul. Tyler was usually back within a few days to collect the soul for good. He stopped putting souls back into vessels after a revived soul and vessel went rogue and caused the premature collection of far too many souls for Tyler’s liking. 

There were accidents, of course, where a person died before their scheduled time. It was only then that it was up to the reaper whether or not the soul went back into the vessel. More often than not they elected to not, far too much work and too much of a risk of accidentally interrupting the natural flow of the universe. 

After the questioning and bargaining was done, Tyler offered them a choice. They could come with him, or remain in the veil. If they remained, they would become ghosts. Cool in concept, but terrible in reality. If you chose to stay, there was no getting into Heaven or Hell unless you found their location on your own. They were very carefully hidden, so the chances of that were low. You could always make a bargain with a reaper, but there weren’t many souls that could offer something of worth. 

Besides, by the time a ghosted soul had decided they were tired of being trapped in the veil, they were usually incapable of much coherent thought. Ghosts were mean, and Tyler tended to avoid them. Occasionally he would come across a mostly coherent soul who would beg him to help, and depending on his mood, he would. It was a case by case basis, and depended upon many factors. 

Tyler dropped his souls off at the gate of whichever destination they were sentenced to, and the gatekeepers took care of the rest. 

That was how it had been for thousands of years. Locate the soul, answer their questions, offer them their choice, and take appropriate action based on their answer. 

That is, until the bosses disappeared. No God, no Satan. They were gone, vanished out of nowhere. Heaven and Hell were in chaos. The angels were lost and scared without their father, and the demons of hell were thrilled at the loss of their tyrant boss. The gates were sealed, no one was allowed in or out of Heaven or Hell. 

Tyler’s only way of knowing what was going on came from communication with the reapers locked inside. He couldn’t get any contact with the angels or demons, but connecting with a reaper was a walk in the park. God and the devil had left, and no one knew where to. But without them, all operations of Heaven and Hell had ceased. 

It had been just over a hundred years since everything had shut down. Reapers only had collection records dating three hundred years into the future, and many were beginning to panic as they approached the halfway mark. They liked order, and a lack of order and an abundance of uncertainty scared many of them.

Tyler was largely unbothered, though he had been highly concerned at the amount of souls left trapped in the veil with reapers unable to escort them. It had become a major issue after the first few years, and Tyler had been forced to take action. The reapers had looked to Tyler from the start, and considered him to be their new boss. Rumour had it that the grim reaper was either trapped or locked behind the sealed gates, so that made Tyler the new boss of the reapers. He wasn’t a fan. 

Regardless, he had to do something about all of the wandering souls. None had seemed to turn into the stereotypical ghosts, maybe that was only a consequence of denying acceptance into Heaven or banishment into Hell. It was annoying. Ghosted souls were easy to deal with, easy to brush aside and tell them what to do.   
  
Coherent souls were much more difficult, as they kept generally the same mindset as living souls. They were aware they were dead, which was even more annoying. They always complained, always asked questions, always whined that they were scared. Tyler just wanted them to shut up. Everyone wanted them to shut up. It was getting too crowded. 

As the unofficial boss, endless reapers had begged him to come up with a solution. Turned out, even though the big guys were gone, reapers were still incapable of having independent thought. It annoyed him to no end. It was as if Tyler had been the one who had died and been sent to his own personal hell. 

It had taken him a few days of thinking, but he finally came up with a solution. It wasn’t kind, and it wasn’t clean, but it was necessary. Tyler was a reaper, he didn’t have much of a conscience. He did what was necessary, and that was that. The souls couldn’t die as they were already dead, so Tyler came up with the next best thing. 

His solution was fairly straightforward, but allowed for the reapers to have a bit of creativity if they pleased. If a soul was scheduled for Heaven, they were given a heavy dose of what could be considered a sedative, and thrown into what was essentially mass graves located in various remote places on veiled earth. The sedative kept them from regaining consciousness, and would keep them out for centuries. The hope was that by the time they regained consciousness, the gates would be reopened to allow the reapers to take them to their true destination. He wasn’t sure what he would do if they woke up before the return of God, he figured he’d deal with that when or if the problem arose. 

If a soul was sentenced to Hell, Tyler had given the reapers a variety of options. None were pleasant, but they were going to Hell anyways, why would he give them something nice just because the devil was gone? Hell’s reapers had gotten very creative with their disposal of souls, but Tyler generally didn’t keep track of their doings. 

The two most popular options were to either chain up the souls, and bury them in their vessel graveyards if they had been buried, or to chain them to whatever heavy objects could be found, and drop them to the bottom of the ocean floor if they had died without being buried. They were left conscious for all of that, and Tyler prefered to not watch as they thrashed and screamed to be saved as their lungs filled with water or dirt. They didn’t need to breathe, but he supposed it was instinct left over from their days of living. 

There were a few Hell reapers, the ones that had been formerly demons, that elected to set up their own home bases, where they would take the souls they deemed especially worthy of Hell and do unspeakable things to them. Tyler definitely did not meddle in their business. 

He continued with his duties for both sides, and it only took a few weeks before the veil was back down to only the occasional zombie like ghost wandering around. 

Everything was going as planned, and life as a reaper had been business as usual for the last one hundred years. Being the temporary boss meant he was able to take over whatever jobs he pleased, and he had been enjoying collecting only his preferred type of soul. 

It had been an abnormally slow day for him, and for once he wasn’t loaded with appointments. He checked his list and frowned, noting that the next job wasn’t for another hour. He flipped through the file quickly, noting the important information. 

Joshua (Josh) William Dun, age 20, born June 18. To be collected from his home in Columbus, Ohio on December 1. Tyler had time to spare, so he decided to head to the site a bit early. He always tried to avoid being present for the actual death, out of respect. He didn’t have a problem with exploring someone’s house prior to the big event, however. It was fascinating to see how fashion and technology changed through the years. 

Josh Dun lived in a simple two story house in suburban Columbus. The inside was moderately decorated, nothing too elaborate. It seemed that it was inhabited by a nice family, but looks could be deceiving. He inspected the pictures hanging on the walls, noting that there were four children, but only two that were male. He quickly grew bored and moved on to looking in some of the bedrooms. No one apart from Josh seemed to be home, though Tyler avoided the exact location the collection was to take place for fear of accidentally walking in at the wrong time. 

He checked the time after he had finished his self guided tour of the house. Only a few minutes to go. He felt bad for this Josh kid, it looked like he had a pretty comfortable life going for him. The fridge was stocked with food, and each kid’s room looked to be filled with plenty of toys and technology. Tyler knew a good home life didn’t always equal happiness, though. There were a lot of factors that led to someone taking their own life. 

Tyler appeared in the room of Josh Dun right on time. A boy with bright red curls was standing over his physical form, looking a bit sad, but with none of the usual panic and regret that most souls such as his had. He looked almost calm as he looked around his room for the last time. Tyler followed where Josh was looking, taking in the surroundings. The room was clean, bed neatly made. There was a drum kit in one corner, which Tyler noted Josh’s gaze lingered on a bit longer than anything else in the room. The walls were crowded with posters and pictures, with an entire bulletin board dedicated to what appeared to be concert tickets. Josh must really like music. 

He noted the folded piece of paper sitting on the bedside table, next to an array of orange medicine bottles, indicating that this had been a matter of failing mental health. Tyler felt a twinge of sadness for this kid. It was obvious that he had had a lot of suffering in his life, made clear by the lack of panic in his soul at the moment. That was unusual, Tyler didn’t come across many of those. He had been confident in his decision, and it was almost harrowing to Tyler whenever such a thing happened. He may not have a soul, but he did have feelings. 

Josh’s eyes finally reached Tyler, and he jumped back in surprise. Tyler couldn’t help but stare. Josh was… attractive. He didn’t think that often, generally uninterested in anything about who he collected other than the destination they were meant to go to. But this Josh, he couldn’t bring himself to look away. He was wearing a black shirt with a graphic that appeared to be for some band, but Tyler could tell he was fairly fit, with broad shoulders and strong looking arms. Red curls hung over his forehead, the colour contrasting with the black gauges stretching his earlobes. His eyes were a soft brown as they widened in surprise at the sight of the reaper.

“Woah! Woah, how did you get in here? Who are you?” 

Tyler regained his composure and held his hands up to show he meant no harm. “It’s my job to be here. I’m a reaper, here to help guide your soul to its next destination. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Josh seemed unbothered by this news, eyes narrowing slightly. 

“You’re here to take me to Hell, right? That’s where people like me go. Gays who kill themselves?”   
  
Wow, nothing got to this guy.

“It’s not that simple, those factors don’t determine where you spend eternity. Besides, Hell is closed right now.” Crap, why did he say that? Souls weren’t supposed to know.

“So… I’m going to Heaven?” 

“Unfortunately, no. Heaven is closed as well.” Why was he still talking?   


“So, where am I going?” 

Tyler hesitated. He didn’t want to harm Joshua Dun. He didn’t want him sedated and buried in the ground, and he didn’t want him chained to a car at the bottom of the ocean. He didn’t know what to do, so he said something he had never said to a soul before. 

“I’m not sure.”

Josh frowned. “What do you mean you’re not sure? I’m dead aren’t I?” He looked to his motionless vessel behind him. “So where do I go? Nowhere? What am I supposed to do, just hang around? You’re a reaper, aren’t you supposed to be in charge of where I go?”

Tyler spoke without thinking, and by the time he realised what he had said, it was too late. 

“You’re staying with me.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think im going to try and update weekly! ahhh im still so so excited to finally put this story out in the world
> 
> tw for mentions of suicide at the start of this chapter

_ Josh _

Josh didn’t know what he expected when he died. Blackness mostly, he supposed. That’s what it had been for a while. He swallowed as many pills as he could and went to sleep, or maybe he blacked out. Judging by the way his body was sprawled across the floor, he guessed he had lost consciousness before he made it to his bed. He couldn’t remember.

Josh had expected to remain in that state of blackness. He was not expecting to end up standing next to his unconscious body. He studied it for a few moments, feeling oddly calm. He felt peace at last. There was no pain here, wherever he was. His mind was quiet, and he felt no regret for his choice. He was sure his family would mourn, but he knew they would move on quickly. He was graduated now, but he had been homeschooled due to the incessant bullying he was subject to in mainstream school, so there were no friends that would miss him. He was okay with it all.

He took one last look around his room, sure that he was going to have to leave here. He didn’t want to stay as a ghost, which he thought he was now. Didn’t want to stay and watch his family find his body. This would be the last time he saw his room. It saddened him a bit. He spent a few extra moments looking at his drums. He would miss those, he hoped they had drums in hell. He was betting that the grim reaper would be here soon to collect him. Maybe he was just late. Tons of people died every day, perhaps there was a backup in his appointments. He must be a busy guy, so he figured he would just have to be patient. 

Josh didn’t know what he had expected, but he definitely didn’t expect to see a young man standing by his door. He was standing perfectly still, and it kind of freaked Josh out. Only the movement of his eyes as he looked Josh up and down gave away the fact that he was anything more than a statue. There was a split second of silence as they both took each other in. 

If this was the grim reaper, he was nothing like he had expected. He looked to be fairly young, not much older than Josh himself. His hair was a dark brown, shaved close on the sides, but longer on top. His jaw was sharply defined by a layer of black paint that disappeared into the collar of his black shirt. He was wearing a short sleeve button up, with a red stripe running down the middle. The figure had his shirt tucked into plain black pants, and he looked… good. The whole outfit nicely showed off his slender form, and Josh felt something down south. He didn’t know it was possible to get a boner when you’re dead.

Black paint covered delicate hands, and Josh wondered who this guy was, why he was dressed like this.

His most notable feature was what appeared to be tattoos covering both of his arms. Three black bands on his left arm, some collection of symbols and black shapes on his right arm. They were striking in comparison to his tanned skin. Josh was sure the grim reaper would have been paler. 

Josh was also sure the grim reaper would have had a deeper voice when he spoke. Though, it seemed this guy was just a normal reaper. He had no idea such a thing even existed. He was learning a lot today. You can get a boner when you’re dead, there’s more than just the grim reaper, being gay doesn’t necessarily get you a ticket to hell, and neither does killing yourself, Heaven was closed, and so was Hell, if either of them even existed. Who knows, this reaper could be lying. 

Of everything that had happened so far today, the last thing Josh had expected was for the reaper to be gripping his hand, insisting that Josh was coming with him. He was  _ strong _ . He was crushing Josh’s hand, leaving smears of black.

“Ow, hey- hey! Loosen it up, would you? Where are we going?” 

The reaper turned around to shoot him a dirty look. “You don’t need to know. Walk faster and I won’t have to hold on so tight.” Josh noticed that his grip loosened regardless. The reaper led Josh out of his own house with such certainty that he was sure the guy must have been here before. Or maybe reapers were all knowing beings who knew the layout of every house in the world. 

The reaper pulled Josh through the front door, and he felt something similar to a chill run down his spine. He blinked, and was instantly in completely different location. He had been prepared to be greeted by his front porch, not by a well lit entryway to what appeared to be a small house. 

“Where… are we?” Josh asked carefully. This reaper seemed to have a bit of a temper. 

“My house, I suppose.”

“So, reapers have houses?”    
  
“Not all.” The reaper let go of Josh’s hand and turned on his heel, walking around the corner and out of sight. Josh noted that his socks were red. There was the sound of running water a few moments later. 

Josh stayed put, unsure of whether or not he was allowed to move. Was he a captive? He had no idea. He startled when something rubbed up against his leg, giving a small yelp and leaping back. He expected something horrible when he looked down, but was met with the blinking red eyes of a black cat. Unusual for sure, but not horrible. 

It looked friendly enough, so Josh kneeled down to greet it. “Hey buddy, what’s your name?” He scratched behind the cat’s ears, and it purred in response. 

“He can’t talk, he’s a cat. His name is Titan.” The reaper was back, leaning against the wall and drying his hands with a towel. The black was gone, and Josh could now see three small lines circling his wrist. He wondered what they meant. 

Josh jumped and stood up, giving Titan one last scratch under the chin. The cat purred and wound its way around his legs, the end of it’s tail flicking back and forth. 

“Interesting. He likes you.” 

“Why am I here?” Josh asked. His plan for dying did not seem to be going well. He still felt alive, albeit much more…  _ alive _ than he had before. Maybe this was his chance to start over, assuming this reaper had good intentions. He wasn’t sure what to think. He didn’t think this was how the afterlife went for most people.

“Nowhere else to take you.”

“Okay, well, do you have a name? Or do reapers not have names? Or… is it something that no human could ever pronounce?” 

The reaper smirked. “First, you’re not a human anymore. You’re merely the soul of a human.” He threw the towel behind him and walked closer to Josh. “I have a name.” 

Josh waited, but he gave no further information. “And? What is it?” He tried to pretend this entire encounter wasn’t turning him on. God, his dick was more active now than it ever had been when he was alive. 

The reaper looked annoyed. “You ask a lot of questions.” 

Josh shrugged. “You’re a reaper, shouldn’t you be used to that?” 

The reaper shot him a look, and Josh swore his eyes flashed red for a split second. His face calmed. “My name’s Tyler.” 

“Your name… is Tyler? Isn’t that a bit-”    
  
“Boring? No. I happen to like it. I didn’t like the name God had assigned to me. I changed it when I broke free from him. That one’s something no human could ever pronounce.” He sounded defensive. Josh had no idea names were such a touchy subject.

“Hold on, God? Like,  _ the  _ God?” 

“Yes, Josh. If you think it exists it probably does.”

Huh. Maybe all those years of church weren’t for nothing. “Are other religions real too?”

“I can’t tell you that.” Josh took that as a yes.

“How old are you, then? You don’t look older than twenty one.”

“Age doesn’t matter to me. Stop asking questions, it’s annoying.” 

Josh opened his mouth to speak, but shut it before he asked another question. He got the feeling this was someone he didn’t want to anger. 

Tyler walked abruptly past Josh, Titan following close at his heel. Josh rushed to follow. Tyler stopped in a comfortably decorated living room, and sat down on the couch. Titan jumped up onto his lap and started purring. 

“We’re going to be spending quite a lot of time together. I can’t let you wander off, you wouldn’t survive in this world. Tell me your life story, Josh.”

 

_ Tyler _

This was a mistake. This was all a mistake. He should not have done this. There should not be a human soul sitting in Tyler’s living room, looking around curiously. 

Did anything bother this kid? He was dead, and currently in the house of a reaper. He seemed completely fine with that, and had barely even bat an eye when Tyler had revealed that Heaven and Hell were real, but currently closed. He didn’t even seem to have a problem with Titan. Tyler had never brought a human soul into his home, but he was positive that they were not accustomed to seeing cat souls with bright red eyes. 

Tyler was used to certain types of souls not being bothered by their death, but never to this extent. Usually there was at least a hint of sadness, or at least shame in them, no matter how small. Josh seemed relieved, almost. Tyler wondered what had happened in his life that made him so willing to embrace death without a second thought. 

Josh had been asking nonstop questions since they had left his house, and Tyler was getting tired of it. He was used to questions, but not ones as invasive as what Josh asked. No one ever asked questions about him, and he preferred it that way. He didn’t like people, or reapers, nosing around in his personal business. 

Dropping the rest of the day’s appointments and asking for a soul’s life story had not been what Tyler planned to do today. But here he was.

“Woah, okay, no. That-that’s not how this works. You don’t get to just… take me captive to your lair and demand I tell you my ‘life story,’ no way.”   
  
Tyler frowned, running his hand down Titan’s back. “And why is that?” 

“It’s- you can’t just say something like that! That’s not how this works, okay? I just died, I need some time before I start talking about my life. You don’t just ask someone something like that when you’ve first met them.”

Tyler thought that made no sense, he had plenty of souls tell him all about their lives when he was escorting them. He didn’t know why Josh had such a problem with it. “Fine, but I have things I need to ask you.” 

“I thought you said no more questions.”

“No more questions from you. These are my questions, it’s different.”

“Hardly. You’ve probably had hundreds of years to find out stuff about humans. I’ve only known about the existence of reapers for like fifteen minutes. If you get to ask a question about me, I get to ask a question about you.” 

“No deal.”   


“What! Why not?”

“You’ve already asked far too many questions of me. For every two I ask you, you may ask one of me.” 

“That’s not fair! I bet I have a lot more questions than you do.”    


Tyler gave Josh a look, and he shut his mouth. That usually worked pretty effectively. He mumbled something that Tyler couldn’t quite hear. “What was that?” 

“I said okay, ask your questions.”

That was definitely not what he had mumbled, but Tyler decided against arguing right now. 

“Why did you kill yourself?”

Josh didn’t flinch away from the question like Tyler had expected him to. His voice was even when he spoke. “Oh yeah sure, skip straight ahead to the deep stuff. Don’t even bother to ask my name.”

“Your name is Joshua William Dun, born June 18, 1997 AD in Columbus, Ohio. You died December 1, 2017 AD at 20 years old, also in Columbus, Ohio, by swallowing what looked to be far too many pills. Your parents are Laura and William Dun, and you have three siblings by the name of Jordan, Ashley, and Abigail.”

“Why do you need to ask me questions again?”

“There’s some things your file doesn’t have. That’s one of your questions done.”   
  
“What! No! That doesn’t count, that’s not fair!”

“How is that not fair?”

“If that question counted as one of mine then that counts as one of yours.” 

Tyler glared at Josh once again, and the boy paled a bit, mumbling an apology. “Are you going to answer me?”

Josh didn’t hesitate. “I just didn’t feel like living anymore. No friends, crappy brain, boring life, not much point to living when you have nothing going for you. Too much work for very little reward.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal. Tyler didn’t quite believe him. Someone didn’t just swallow handfuls of pills because their life was boring, not if they were going to be this nonchalant about it afterwards. It was unlikely Josh was going to be honest about his true reasons quite yet. Maybe he shouldn’t have started with something like that. 

He tried again, hoping he would get a more honest answer. “Do you play drums?” Josh’s eyes lit up at this question, and Tyler took that as a good sign. 

“Yes! I’ve played since I was a kid, I think I’m okay at them. Actually, I probably sucked, but it was fun. I think I’m going to miss my kit. Do they have drums in the afterlife? That doesn’t count as my question, by the way, because it’s not about you.” 

Tyler decided to let that one slide. “Yes, there’s drums. If it existed in your world, it exists here. You just need to learn how to physically transport it into the veil.”

Josh looked excited at that idea. “Sweet! Okay, my turn. Why do you wear black paint? And are you like, contractually obligated to wear black?” 

Two in one, but once again he’d let it slide. It seemed like Josh was incapable of communicating in any way that didn’t involve questions. Tyler shrugged. “The paint’s fun. I like to change things up, try different outfits. I don’t wear it all the time, it gets everywhere. I don’t have to wear black. I have no contract, I work on my own. I just happen to like wearing black.” Josh looked like he was about to ask more questions, but Tyler cut him off before he had the chance. “My turn. Do you prefer cats or dogs?” 

Josh paused to think, face twisting. It looked like he was having a hard time. It was a few seconds before he answered. “Both. Maybe cats more? Dogs are cool too though. I like them both.” 

Tyler hated dogs. Cats were much preferable. As long as Josh wasn’t against cats, he supposed he could accept that. 

“Did you finish high school, what about college?” 

“I’m too young to have graduated college. Besides, I never even bothered to go. I finished high school, though. Homeschooled, but I finished. It sucked. People are mean, did you know that?” Tyler didn’t answer. “Right, of course you knew that, sorry. I couldn’t go to normal school anymore, so my mom pulled me out in the middle of my sophomore year. What do your tattoos mean?”

Tyler clenched his jaw. He didn’t tell anyone about the origin his tattoos, that was for him and him only to know. “That’s not something you need to know. Ask something different.” Josh seemed to realise the seriousness of Tyler’s answer, and moved on. Tyler was grateful.

“Why do you look like you’re twenty one? Is it because you used to be a human or something? Like, did you die when you were twenty one and become a reaper?” 

“Okay, no. That’s not how it works. I don’t have time to explain reaper history to you right now. No more questions about how old I am or where I came from. This is a soul vessel that was gifted to me. My true form is not as this, but it’s easier this way. Souls fight you less when you escort them to the afterlife if you look like them. Besides, I like this vessel.” 

“Dude, did you get to choose how you looked?” 

“No, this form was a gift that was created specifically for me. I didn’t get to pick and choose how I look any more than you did.” 

“But you’re still okay with how you look? That’s just not fair. Hot people who know they’re hot are the worst.” Josh sounded genuinely annoyed at that, and Tyler couldn’t help but smirk. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these first few chapters are a lot of world building (:
> 
> im sorry if theres any spelling or grammar mistakes. im not very good at proofreading oops.

_Tyler_

It was harder than one would think to explain to someone that when you’re dead, things are different. All of a human’s basic needs were no longer essential, and Josh seemed incapable of grasping that concept.

“But _why_?” He asked, for what Tyler swore was the hundredth time.

“Because that’s just how it is! You’re dead, you don’t need to do anything anymore. I don’t have an answer for you, I’m not God, I’m a reaper. I’m a reaper, understand? I don’t have the answers to the universe, I’m just here to collect souls and take them where they’re supposed to go. For the love of all that is good, _stop. Asking_.”

Josh finally fell silent, crossing his arms with a huff and taking a sudden interest in Tyler’s fireplace. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “So what am I supposed to do here, then?”

Tyler wasn’t sure what his plan was, or even if anything he attempted would work. All he could do was hope that none of the other reapers would dare to question Tyler as to why he was allowing a soul to wander around freely in the veil. Maybe Josh would lose interest, or maybe he wasn’t the right person for this. He’d only known the guy for a few hours. Tyler had no idea if what he was hoping for was even possible. “I’m going to train you to become a reaper.”

Josh choked and sat up straighter in his seat. “Excuse me?”

“I’m training you to become a reaper. I have appointments starting up again in a few hours, and you’re coming with. Other reapers will be suspicious if you’re walking around alone, so you’re going to need to stay close by me.”

Josh looked nervous. “Um, okay. Is that like… a thing? You can do that? I mean, I’m just a normal guy, I don’t see how that’s possible.”

“You’re not a normal guy, Josh. I’ve met millions of souls, and you’re nothing like them. Most reapers are former souls anyways, of course it’s possible.” He knew it was possible to make a normal soul into a reaper, but it had only ever been done deep within Heaven and Hell, and not out in the veil. Most reapers were indeed former souls, very few were true reapers like Tyler. He figured it was worth a shot. At the very least, Tyler could bring Josh along as a sidekick until God returned and they were able to work out something more permanent.

“Oh. So, where do we start then? What’s the job description?” He was doing a good job of hiding the uncertainty in his voice.

“It’s nothing complicated. You go to the site, determine if they are set for Heaven or Hell, and escort them to their final destination. Be warned, you guys ask a lot of questions. They used to have a choice as to whether they stayed in the veil or came with you, but things have been different since Heaven closed. Everyone has to go somewhere now.”

“How do you know where they’re supposed to be? And where… where do they go, then? If both Heaven and Hell are closed, I mean.”

“Every reaper has a list with appointments set for the next 300 years. It’s sort of.. Burned into our minds.” Tyler’s was a bit different, of course. He didn’t have a set list, but rather a shifting agenda based off what collections he had bargained for, and which had been dropped for him to pick up. “We can access any part of it at any given time. Appointments can be dropped or traded, and additional ones picked up. The list tells you the basic details of a person’s life. Name, birth date, death date and time, as well as where they are scheduled to go. You can look at individual files and see more in depth information about the soul.” Josh looked impressed.

Tyler hoped he wouldn’t be scared away by the answer to his second question. This job was not for the faint of heart, especially recently. “The veil was getting pretty crowded with the buildup of souls, so something had to be done. If they’re set for Heaven, they’re taken to one of Heaven’s reapers. They sedate them, and bury them in mass graves. They don’t need to breathe, so they’re fine down there. If they’re set for Hell, they’re taken to one of Hell’s reapers. They’re chained while conscious and taken to be buried, or thrown to the ocean. It depends on how their vessel was dealt with.”

Josh’s eyes were wide, and Tyler hoped that wasn’t a bad sign. “We don’t have to deal with that, though. That’s generally up to the specific reapers.” Tyler wasn’t going to admit to partaking in the punishment of the wicked souls that belonged in Hell, and Josh didn’t need to know about the warehouses quite yet. “You’ll learn everything on the job, it’s not hard. Just do what I do and you’ll be fine. Don’t stray too far, either.” Josh nodded solemnly. Tyler imagined this wasn’t quite what he had pictured for the afterlife.

“I don’t like to talk about work while I’m at home. I don’t get to be here often, and I’d like to keep the topic of conversation away from that while we’re here.” Josh nodded again.

“Right, we have a few hours before we need to do anything, so I might as well give you a tour. You’ll be staying here for a while.” Josh looked excited at the idea of finally being able to explore the small house.

Tyler stood, and Josh followed suit. “Obviously, this is the living room. Front door is over that way, hopefully you remember. The kitchen is across here.” Tyler led the way across the hall.  “I don’t eat, but I’ve never gotten around to turning it into anything else. There’s a sink in here, I’d suggest you wash your hands, you’ve got paint on them still and I don’t take kindly to my furniture being stained.”

Josh blushed and walked to the sink, turning on the water. Tyler admired the way the muscles in his arms moved as he scrubbed at his hands. He’d never found a soul to be this alluring before.

Once Josh had dried his hands, Tyler showed him to the bathroom. He didn’t have much use for it, but showers could be nice sometimes.

“My room is here.” Tyler gestured to a closed door. “You don’t enter this room without my permission. If I find you’ve been sneaking around I will not hesitate to hand you over to one of the other reapers to be dealt with.” Josh looked startled at the harsh comment, but remained silent. “I have a spare room, which you can have as your own so long as you pass every challenge I present to you. Reapers don’t sleep, and neither do you. Your room is for keeping whatever items you value, and for providing you with a space of your own. This is a luxury not many reapers, or souls, experience. I expect you to take care of it. I will respect it as your own space, and will not interfere with it so long as you do not interfere with mine. Understand?” Josh nodded quickly.

Things were off to a good start.

\-----

Tyler decided to forgo the paint for today’s collections. The souls they were collecting were not his usual clientele, and he would rather not deal with their drama about his paint today. He had showered and put on a much more casual outfit, making sure he and Josh looked like a cohesive team. It would be easier to bypass the other reapers if it was evident that they were training together.

Tyler noted how Josh’s eyes lingered a few moments too long when he emerged from the bathroom, finding that he was quite pleased by that.

“Is that…” Josh looked baffled. “Adidas?”

“I can go shopping just like anyone else on earth. I liked this jacket, so I brought it into the veil. Now it’s mine.” Tyler looked down at his outfit. Same black pants and red socks as earlier, he couldn’t be bothered to change those. The vans, too, remained. A white shirt with some sort of pattern that he had liked, with the black adidas jacket over top. He thought it looked nice. Modern fashion was much more comfortable than most of what had existed in the past. He thought it suited him much better, as well. Though he hadn’t hated wearing suits.

“I’ve arranged my appointments to contain only the simpler ones, to start off your training. You’ll see how the first few go, and then it’s your turn. The souls shouldn’t ask any difficult questions, but if there’s something you can’t answer, then let me take care of it. It’s best to not upset them.”

“But-”  
  
Tyler cut Josh off before he could protest. “No questions. You’ll learn by example. It’s not difficult, you’ll learn quickly. The sooner you collect these souls, the sooner you’ll be able to go retrieve your drum kit.” He figured that would be sufficient motivation, which was proven true as Josh stood taller and his eyes lit up with sudden determination.  
  
“Okay, I’m ready.”

Tyler nodded. “Alright, I’ve written down the appointments for you.” He handed Josh a neatly folded piece of paper. “If you pass your training, I’ll find a better way to get you your appointments. This is the best I can do for now. Read me the first collection.”  
  
Josh unfolded the paper and quickly scanned it. “Wow, I thought it would be a lot more detailed.”

“I simplified it for you. Just tell me the first soul.”

“Uhhhh Josephine Kolter, age 90. Died of lung cancer on December 2 at 1:04 am in Huntington, West Virginia."

“Good. Let’s get started, then. Lesson one is travelling. It’s not difficult, but it takes time to get right. I’ll bring you along this time to show you how it’s done, but I expect you to be the one trying next time.” Josh nodded quickly to show he understood.

“There’s specific coordinates given on each collection file. I haven’t given you the coordinates yet, not for this collection. If you try to attempt this at the same time as I while you’re still a beginner, it could be disastrous. Your thoughts could muddle with mine, and throw us completely off track. Worst case scenario, we’d both get torn to bits and scattered throughout the veil.” Josh looked alarmed, and nodded solemnly.

“When it’s your turn to try, I’ll give you the exact coordinates. Keep them in your mind, and picture a doorway in front of you. It can be whatever kind you’d like, but it’s best to keep it to one design. The clearer you can imagine the doorway each time, the closer you’ll end up to where you’re supposed to be. Keep it consistent, it makes it easier to remember the specific details. The more details you imagine, the more accuracy you’ll have. It’s also possible to use a real doorway, if one is present at the site. This is much easier, as all details and clarity are provided for you. However, it must be closed, and it must be nearby, so this isn’t always possible. You want to move a soul quickly. They may change their mind about leaving if you take too long.”

“Right, a doorway. Simple, consistent, details. Real, if possible, but don’t take too long. Don’t try anything at the same time as you. Got it. What next?”

“When you can see your doorway as clearly as you can manage, or you have found one suitable for your use, simply step forward as if you’re walking through the door. Don’t forget to keep the coordinates in your mind. When your foot hits the ground, you should be at your destination.”

“So… you’re making a portal then? I’m learning how to teleport? Shit, that’s so cool!” Josh seemed thrilled at the idea of portals and teleportation.

Tyler frowned. “I suppose. It’s not as fun as you’d think, though.” Not that it was unpleasant, he just didn’t see what was so exciting about it. It was a quick and efficient way of travel, much easier than walking. Maybe that’s what Josh meant.

“I bet you’ve been doing it for centuries. Of course you’re going to think it’s boring.” Tyler simply stared at Josh, and he went back to business. “So, that’s all? Doorway, coordinates, step through?”

“For the travel itself, yes. Don’t get too confident, it’s harder than one would expect. There’s other factors to consider, in addition to getting where you need to be. The coordinates you are given will always be for the exact location of the death. It’s not best to appear right where a soul will be. You must learn to adjust the coordinates so you arrive in a more suitable location. I prefer to not be present for the death, out of respect for the soul. Many do not take kindly to being watched, it embarasses them. I’ll teach you to adjust coordinates to arrive an appropriate distance away, but that will come later. You first need to learn to get where you need to go in the first place.”

Tyler stuck out his arm. “Take my hand and walk me through the steps.” He thought he saw a blush rise on Josh’s cheeks, but he could have been imagining it.

“Uh, why?” He made no move towards Tyler.

“Just do it, Josh.” They were going to be late if Josh was going to question every little thing Tyler told him to do from this point on. He should’ve planned better. Explaining took longer than expected. He’d never taught someone before, so he had no idea if Josh had fully understood any of what Tyler had just said.

Josh grasped Tyler’s hand gently, as if he was afraid to touch him. Tyler gripped harder, forcing Josh to tighten his grip as well. He wasn’t about to hold hands with a dead fish.

“Tell me what to do.”

Josh looked focused, much more focused than you would need to be to tell someone three easy steps, but Tyler didn’t mention it.

“Okay, you need to imagine a doorway now. But, there’s a door in front of us so you can also use that if you wanted.” He waited a few seconds, as if he was the teacher and Tyler was the student learning to travel for the first time. “Okay, good. Now think of the coordinates.” He waited a few more seconds, and Tyler felt the grip on his hand tighten slightly. “Now we step forward through the doorway, and then we’ll be there.” Josh took a deep breath, and stepped as Tyler did.

In the blink of an eye, Tyler and Josh were in the lobby of a nursing home. Not surprising, as there weren’t too many terminally ill 92 year olds living on their own.

Tyler had done all of the work, but Josh seemed proud of himself regardless. He hadn’t managed to mess up the three steps, so Tyler supposed that was reason enough to be proud.

“This should be an easy one. Most people of this age have accepted death as an inevitability, and Josephine’s illness should have aided that acceptance.” Josh nodded solemnly, and Tyler checked his watch. It was a convenient thing, as it automatically synced to local time. He’d given it a bit of reaper magic, as most modern tech tended to not work in the veil without a bit of help. Traditionally pocket watches were used, but he much preferred apple products.

“It’s nearly 1:00. Her room is upstairs and to the left. It’s not a messy death, so we can wait outside her door until it’s time. Use your judgement on where you should be and when you should arrive. I prefer to leave them alone for the death, it can be a private and sensitive matter so it’s best to avoid being too near whenever possible. Souls are easily upset. But don’t leave them alone for too long. The longer they’re alone the higher the chance they’ll choose to stay and argue with us, which is not what we want. Plus, they could wander off.”

Josh nodded again. “Right. Don’t invade their privacy, and don’t be late.”

Tyler spent a few minutes creating scenarios for Josh, testing how he would respond to specific collections, and offering corrections when he said something Tyler didn’t agree with. There were plenty of ways to go about reaping, but if Josh was going to work with Tyler, he was going to do it his way.

At last, it was nearly time. They headed up the stairs, Josh looking painfully nervous. “Try to relax. You could freak her out if she thinks something’s wrong. I’ll do the talking, you just try and keep a neutral expression. Take a deep breath.” Air wasn’t strictly needed, but Tyler found that the action still did wonders in calming a panicked soul. Josh took a few deep breaths and composed himself as they reached the top of the stairs. Tyler paused in front of the door and turned to look at Josh. He looked better. “Very good. Just stay calm and observe. This won’t be hard.”

Josh spoke in a whisper. “Uh, I’m guessing we can’t be seen, but can’t people see doors opening and closing when we go in a room?”  
  
“The veil is like a copy of the physical world. It’s like a one way mirror. What happens there can be seen in the veil, but what happens here can’t be seen in the physical world unless we will it to. Only those scheduled for death can see us and our actions, unless we choose otherwise, but it’s rare that a reaper would ever want to be seen by living souls.” He checked his watch again. “Now be quiet, it’s almost time.”

They stood in silence as Tyler watched the seconds tick past 1:04 am. Tyler reached up and knocked on the door. They were greeted by a frail looking woman moments later. Josh straighten beside Tyler, and he extended his hand in greeting. “Good evening, Josephine. My name is Tyler, and this is Josh.” He gestured to the boy next to him. Josephine eyed him suspiciously but reached out to greet him regardless.

“What’s going on here?” She asked in a surprisingly strong voice.

“I’m afraid you’ve died, and I’m here to guide you to your next destination. It won’t be a long trip, so don’t worry about bringing anything along.” As expected, Josephine didn’t look surprised at Tyler’s announcement.

“Where are we going?”  
  
“Unfortunately, I can’t disclose that information.”

She snorted, as if she had expected him to say that. “Of course you can’t.” Tyler smiled apologetically.

“Ma’am, if you would come with me? I only ask that you allow me to place a hand on your shoulder.” Still in shock, Josephine nodded. Tyler placed a hand on her frail shoulder, grabbing Josh’s hand with the other. He guided the group out the door, emerging in front of a tall fence that kept intruders out of heaven’s gravesite. “Thank you, Josephine. I’ll let Patrick take you from here, he’ll get you settled in.”

A reaper with a round and kind face stepped forward from the gate and held out his hand, giving Josh an odd look. Tyler glanced at him with narrowed eyes that warned him to stay quiet, and he turned away. Patrick had always been good at minding his own business.

“I do hope we’ll see you again someday.” Tyler would never see her again, nor did he care if he did or not, but he had learned that treating souls as friends made things easier. Josephine was too stunned to do anything more than lift a hand and wave goodbye.

Tyler turned around, beckoning Josh to follow. “That’s the basics of it. Talk kindly to them. Everything varies case by case, so keep that in mind. You would speak to a teenager much different than an elder, and someone who’s died in an accident is going to respond differently than someone who chose death for themselves.” Josh fidgeted nervously at his last remark.

“Yeah, that makes sense. It doesn’t seem too hard. But, she was a bit rude don’t you think? Didn’t even so much as look at me.” Josh was a little hurt by the fact that Tyler appeared to have gotten all the attention.  
  
“She couldn’t see you. Two reapers appearing at once would have likely freaked her out, so I made sure she would only be seeing me.” Tyler answered curtly. He had a lot to tell Josh about, and not much time. He couldn’t afford to answer all of his questions right now. “You don’t need to let them know you’re a reaper. You can make yourself seem as a friend, to easier convince them to come with you. They no longer have a choice as to whether or not they get to stay. Everyone goes where they’re destined to, no debating. If they won’t come willingly, they’re sedated. Carrying unconscious souls can be a pain, so it’s much easier to convince them to come with you willingly.”

“Oh, okay. I can understand that.”

“There’s different headquarters for Heaven and Hell. I can’t tell you where the real deal is, but I’ll give you lists of the various drop off sites. I expect you to memorise the coordinates. Travel to the one nearest to your collection site, and the reapers stationed at the headquarters will do the rest. You don’t need to go in yourself.”

Josh nodded to show he understood.

“Okay, who’s next?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to update oops. heres this tho! this changes pov more than usual oof i just had a lot to say ! 
> 
> also i feel like this is kind of a filler chapter? idk how i feel abt it but here it is anyways

After nearly a full day of collections to show Josh a variety of personalities and situations, Tyler decided it was time that he give his trainee a chance at doing it himself. There were only a few more collections for the night. This time, Tyler would be concealed from the souls, and it would be all up to Josh to get the job done quickly and properly. The reaper hoped he wasn’t mistaken in placing his faith in the soul so soon.

Breaking the big news to Josh did not go so well. He immediately rejected the request, saying he wasn’t ready.

“I haven’t even practiced yet! How am I supposed to just jump in and do it now? I’m going to mess it up somehow, trust me.”

Tyler crossed his arms and looked evenly at Josh. “No. You’re ready. This is the best practice you’re going to get. You’ll never be any good if you don’t just go for it. Jumping straight in is the best way to do this. You’ll be fine, and I’ll be right behind you if something goes wrong. They won’t see me, but I’ll be there. You’ve seen enough to know how it works, I trust you can do this.”

The boy seemed at least somewhat comforted by Tyler’s words. He took a deep breath and stood a bit taller. “Okay, fine. I’ll give it a try. But if I mess it up it’s your fault!”   
  
The reaper rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever. Stop whining and get a move on before we’re late. I’ll still be taking us there. _That_ is something that you need proper practice with before I’ll trust you to do it on your own.” Josh nodded in agreement. Good.

“Other than that, it’s your job to handle this entire collection. The coordinates of the location and the nearest drop off should be on your list now.” Josh studied the folded paper before returning it to his pocket. “Got it?”

“Yes.”  
  
“Don’t forget them. Tell me the first coordinates.” Josh recited the location as he took Tyler’s hand, and as soon as he had finished speaking, they had arrived.

“You ready?” Tyler was suddenly unsure of the collection he had decided to start Josh out on. Maybe this was a bad idea.

But it was too late, he just had to hope his instincts were right about this.  
  
  
 _Josh_

Josh was most definitely not ready. He had no idea what he was doing. Of course, he had paid close attention while Tyler was doing his thing, but that definitely didn’t mean he was ready to do it himself. The way that Tyler effortlessly changed his personality and way of speaking for each soul was amazing. He was sure he would never be able to reach that level. It was truly as if he was with a different person for each collection, and Josh found himself wondering if the Tyler he knew was real, or if it was just another act to put Josh at ease while in this weird world.

He decided that he must be the real deal, because Tyler definitely did not put Josh at ease. He was a bit of a dick, really. But Josh didn’t mind. As frustrating as it could be, it made the reaper all the more alluring. He was harsh and perpetually annoyed, but seemed to be determined to keep Josh around. Mixed with the rare moments when Tyler was genuinely nice to him, Josh couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered when he thought too much about spending the rest of eternity around him.

Josh was dead, and had a crush on a reaper. This was definitely not how he expected the afterlife to be.

And now, he was standing outside of a hospital room. He got an uneasy feeling when he looked around the hallway, noticing the bright colours and characters that indicated this was most definitely a children’s ward. Josh looked at the door in front of him, heart sinking when the colourful tag on the door matched the name on his list.   
  
In all his nerves about what Tyler was asking him to do, he hadn’t fully registered all of the information on the paper. He hadn’t realised that Addyson Stotsky was only eight years old, with an inoperable brain tumour. He turned to look at Tyler, fear in his eyes.

The reaper’s expression was softer than he had ever seen. There was what appeared to be genuine worry in his eyes.

“Tyler, I can’t do this. She’s just a kid!”  
  
“She’s not the first child we’ve collected tonight, Josh. I suggest you do this as quickly as you can. It might be harder for her when her parents realise she’s gone.” He looked like he was regretting his decision to ask Josh to finish this collection. “Josh, I can-”

“No, I’m going to do it.” Josh closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He wasn’t going to let Tyler down. If he thought he could handle this, then Josh would handle this. He’d always been pretty good with kids, so maybe this wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe.

Josh checked the clock on the wall. 10:26 pm. Just one more minute to go. He kept his eyes closed, until he heard a child’s voice coming from inside the room. “Mummy? Wake up Mummy! I feel all better now!” Josh looked back at Tyler, who gave him a reassuring look, and turned back to the door. He could do this.

A young girl dressed in pajamas was trying to wake up her parents, who were soundly sleeping in chairs beside the bed. The machines were flatlining, making urgent noises that struck an instinctive sense of fear into Josh. She turned when she heard the door open, looking frightened. “The robots are loud and Mummy and Daddy won’t wake up! Can you please help me?”

“Uhhhh…” Josh looked around for a solution. The machines were too distracting. He moved to the bed, heart sinking when he noticed the girl’s vessel lying on the bed. She looked peaceful, despite her swollen and disfigured features. She was connected to so many wires and tubes that Josh wondered how much this little girl had suffered while she was alive. He wouldn’t have recognised the girl staring accusingly at him as the same girl lying in the hospital bed.

He knelt down and fumbled around for cords, successfully disconnecting them from their power supplies and plunging the room into quiet once more. He turned around to face Addyson, who was looking at him with arms crossed.

“Are you a doctor?”

Josh hesitated, and Tyler elbowed him. “Yes, I am. My name’s Josh, what’s your name?”

“Well, Josh, you’re not wearing your jacket. Doctors should wear jackets. Plus you don’t seem very smart. And you have red hair, which I’ve never seen a doctor have before. Also, my name is on the door. It’s Addyson, which you should have read before you came in.”

Josh laughed quietly. “Well Addyson, that’s because I’m a doctor in training. I’m still learning, so they haven’t given me a jacket yet. Maybe you can help me learn. I think I’m a bit lost, would you be able to show me back to the desk on this floor? I need to find my boss.” He hoped Tyler would understand what he was doing and go along with it.   
  
Addyson threw her hands in the air. “Unbelievable! The doctors they have these days!”

Josh couldn’t help but smile, and Tyler snorted behind him.

Addyson turned back to her parents, patting them each on the knee. “Mummy, Daddy, I’ll be right back. I have to show this guy back to his boss. Come this way, Dr. Josh.” Addyson turned around and reached out her hand, and Josh took it. “It’s just right out here. I don’t know how you didn’t see it when you came in here. It’s not like it’s hiding!”

Josh looked behind him, seeing that Tyler was now gone. As the door closed behind them, he noticed the parents starting to wake from what had likely been some sort of reaper induced sleep, courtesy of Tyler. Hopefully he would be able to get Addyson out of here before she tried to go back.

The little girl led Josh a short ways down the hall, mumbling about his incompetency the entire time. They reached the desk a few moments later. “Here you are, Dr. Josh. Is that your boss?”   
  
Tyler walked over with a smile on his face. It was the most genuine smile Josh had ever seen from the reaper, and his breath caught in his throat.

“You must be Miss Addyson! And I see you’ve returned Dr. Josh to me, thank you. He tends to get lost often.”   
  
“Yeah, you should train him up a little better.”

“I should, shouldn’t I?” There was a glint in Tyler’s eyes that Josh definitely did not like. “Well, since you’re both here now, how about we give Dr. Josh a little more training?”

Addyson looked at Tyler, taking in his jacket and squinting at the name printed on it. “Dr. Tyler, I think he needs a tour.”

“Excellent idea Addyson! How about you give him a tour of the building?” Tyler’s voice was filled with enthusiasm. He would make a good doctor, Josh thought. You know, if he wasn’t in the business of dead people.

“Dr. Josh, I’m going to give you the best tour you’ve ever had!” Addyson’s voice was filled with determination. “Now that I’m feeling better, I’m sure Mummy and Daddy won’t mind.”

“Thank you, Addyson. I suppose I really do need a tour from an expert. Sometimes I can’t even find my way out of the building!”

Addyson sighed in exasperation. “Come this way, Dr. Josh.”  
  
  
 _Tyler_

Josh had gotten Addyson out of the ward just in time. He had hoped his apprentice would find a way to get her out before the parents woke up naturally, but he supposed not everything could always go as planned. He had been forced to will them back to sleep until Josh and Addyson had been on their way out. As soon as the coast was clear, he lifted the enchantment and allowed them to wake up and face the reality of their emergency.

The machines had ceased their wailing in the veil thanks to quick thinking on Josh’s part, but it hadn’t stopped the parents from waking up to the sounds of their daughter dying. The mother’s screams and the father’s shouts for help rang through the hallway, sending nurses running from their station and into the room.

Watching the scene unfold in front of him, he realised this would have been a job that would be impossible for Josh to accomplish alone. Without his magic, Addyson would have realised the severity of the situation, and she would not have been willing to leave.

Regardless, he was proud of Josh. Tyler hadn’t been planning on being involved in this one, but Josh had been creative and involved Tyler while still keeping control of the situation himself. He had a few critiques, of course, but it was nothing major. Josh definitely should have let Addyson know that she was dead, but so long as she ended up safely with one of Heaven’s reapers, he supposed he didn’t mind what the reaper in training chose to tell souls.

The anguished sobs of Addyson’s parents and yelling of nurses was starting to grate on Tyler’s nerves, so he headed out of the ward and into the rest of the hospital, ditching his lab coat on the ground as he left. He found Josh and Addyson quickly, finishing up their tour in the lobby.

He had purposefully allowed a decent amount of time for this collection, and he was glad he had done so.

“And that’s it! Now you can’t get lost, okay?”  
  
“Right, no more getting lost. Don’t worry, I think I’ve got it down thanks to you now!”

Tyler was hidden from Addyson once more, but Josh looked up and nodded slightly to indicate they were ready. He would have normally had Josh recite to him the coordinates of the drop off site, but that wouldn’t be appropriate in this situation. He’d called ahead to let the reaper on duty know that there was a special circumstance, and to adjust their setting accordingly. Hayley had happily obliged.  
  
  
 _Josh_

Josh had lied to Addyson, and he felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to go along with convincing her she was still alive, but he didn’t know how to break the news to her. Tyler was going to _kill_ him. Or, more accurately, Tyler was going to throw him into a pit to rot for the rest of eternity.

After Addyson had left with Hayley the reaper, Josh turned around to face Tyler.

“I’m so sorry!” He blurted out. “I know I did that all wrong! And now we’re probably late to the next collection and you’re going to fire me and I’m going to be buried alive and-”

Tyler cut him off, sounding only slightly annoyed this time. “Don’t, it’s fine. I had to make a few arrangements for your plan, but it wasn’t a big deal. She’s at peace now, so you did good.”

“But I made a reaper come all this way! For something so small!”

Tyler shook his head, “I had Hayley put up an illusion, we brought our reality to her. I’m sure she had fun with it, if anything. Complications happen, the gatekeepers know that.”

Josh was speechless. “Oh.”

“You did just fine. Better than I would have expected for a first try, so don’t worry about it.”

Josh didn’t respond, and Tyler made no move to speak either, so they stood in silence. Josh felt a deep sadness settling in his bones.

“ _Now_ we’re going to be late if we don’t get going. Stop worrying over Addyson, she’s fine. If you worry over every soul you collect, you won’t survive this job for long.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

“Let’s get this night’s collections finished up, and we can go back. I’ve got some more training planned.” Tyler’s eyes were harsh when Josh looked at him, but softened apologetically when he met his eyes. “I’ll take it easy on you tomorrow.”  
  
With that, they clasped hands once more and vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im uhhh have no excuse but at least this is posted now hope u enjoy

__ Tyler  
__   
Josh was improving fast. Had he been a full reaper, Tyler would be sending him out on small collections alone by now. He’d learned to adapt himself to each situation, subtly changing his personality to match his assigned souls. Josh was the type of person that everyone loved, so it seemed like there was very minimal work on his part to appear as a friendly guidance to each soul. 

He was still completing simple collections, but if a situation ever got trickier than Tyler had intended it to be, Josh handled it like an old pro. There hadn’t been a single incident since Addyson that had required Tyler’s assistance. 

To collect souls without magic, well, Tyler hated to admit he was impressed. 

But that didn’t mean Josh was let off the hook. No magic didn’t mean Tyler was going to babysit him forever. It was time he figured out how to do certain things on his own. They returned home after a routine elder collection, and Josh let go of Tyler’s hand as soon as they arrived, quickly stepping away from him. The reaper pretended he didn’t notice. 

Hoping any amount of disappointment at Josh’s actions was disguise in his voice, he spoke. “I can’t guide you every time anymore, it’s time you learnt to travel for yourself.” Tyler turned away from Josh and headed into the bathroom to wash his hands. His hands weren’t particularly dirty, but he liked to stay clean. It definitely had nothing to do with the soul who was now following him into the bathroom. Tyler felt an irk of annoyance.

“I-- what? Wait, hold on. What?” Josh peered around the doorway as Tyler turned on the water and began scrubbing his hands without looking over. 

“You have to learn to do it for yourself, I’m not going to keep babysitting you.” He dried his hands on a towel and ran his fingers through his hair as he walked back past Josh, ensuring it wasn’t laying too neatly. 

“I can’t do that, I’m not a reaper! You said so yourself, I could get torn to bits and scattered about the veil!” 

Tyler never should have waited this long, he knew there’d be resistance. “I never said that.”  
  
“Uh, yeah you did. You literally said ‘worst case scenario, we get torn to bits and scattered throughout the veil.’ I don’t know about you, but I’d rather  _ not _ be shredded into ghost confetti.” 

Tyler looked down at Titan, who seemed to blink in agreement with Josh. Damn cat. “Your options are ghost confetti or reaper bait, take your pick. If you can’t learn how to do things for yourself I’ll be forced to turn you over to a reaper who wouldn’t take such pity on you.”

Josh paled, and Tyler felt a twinge of guilt from his harsh words. He didn’t necessarily understand Josh’s fear, but he could see where it was coming from. He tried to soften his voice when he spoke. 

“You know I wouldn’t turn you in, Josh. I just think it’s time you got yourself some independence. I didn’t bring you in to constantly watch over you, and it’d be a lot easier for the both of us if you learned to take on some responsibility. Plus, there’s no hope of you ever learning to bring items into the veil if you can’t do something as simple as travel.”

That seemed to grab his attention, and his head of red hair snapped up to look at Tyler. “Really? So if I do this, I can get my drums?” A spark of excitement returned to his eyes, and Tyler remembered how he had lit up the first time Tyler had asked him about music.

“If you can travel on your own, I’ll start to teach you how to bring things in.” 

A huge grin spread across Josh’s face. “Okay, then I’m ready. If I become ghost confetti then I guess that’s life, you know? Or death? You know what I mean.”

Tyler was suddenly too worried about everything that could go wrong to answer.

 

_ Josh _

Josh was tired. Sure, Tyler had told him this would be difficult and dangerous, but he didn’t tell him it would be exhausting. They started off small, with simple trips across the house. His goal was to move from the living room to his own room with a single step. His room was still empty due to his inability to acquire anything to decorate it with, which Tyler said gave him an advantage because there was less of a chance of him accidentally teleporting inside a wardrobe, or on top of a desk. Josh wondered if that was something Tyler had ever accidentally done. He stifled a laugh, which earned him a not so friendly glare from the reaper. 

He’d spent hours trying to appear in his room, trying to keep his mind focused on the promise of getting his drums back. With each failure, his hopes shrunk and his weariness grew. The most he had accomplished was appearing face down a few feet to the right of where he had first been standing, and even that had taken tremendous focus and effort. 

Tyler kept promising that once Josh got the initial leap down, it would only get easier. Josh was convinced he would never reach that point. He kept asking for a break, only to be shot down by Tyler. He claimed that a nap would do Josh no good, it would be impossible for him to fall asleep. He begged to differ, claiming that a quick lie down would charge him right back up. His efforts to earn some rest got him nowhere, and he returned to practice without protest when he saw something that looked like anger flash across brown eyes. Tyler was starting to get annoyed, and he was scary when he was annoyed.

It was getting dark outside, and even Titan had lost interest in watching the futile attempts at making a simple move within the same house. He was watching Josh with eyes half open, much more interested in resting on Tyler’s lap than he was in seeing the red haired boy fail yet again. 

“Try again, but focus this time.”

“I  _ am  _ focusing!”

“Obviously not hard enough. Remember your steps. See the door, recite the coordinates, step through. You can do it, you have to do it. You won’t be of any use as a reaper if you’re unable to do something so simple.” 

“Why can’t I just use an existing door? You said that’s easier!” 

“Easy in an emergency. If you can’t figure this out on your own, then what’s the point? You’re going to do this out of nothing, or you’re not going to do it at all.”

Josh took a frustrated breath and closed his eyes. He knew Tyler was trying to push him so he would succeed, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt. He decided he would try something different this time, conjuring up an image he had been trying his hardest to forget for weeks. He let the memory take over, appearing clear in his mind’s eye; the glass screen covering pale painted wood, red brick on either side. He grew up here, he knew had every detail memorised. He could see where the paint had chipped on the edges of the wooden door, and when he reached out for the metal handle, it was broken just as he had always remembered it to be. He held the glass open with his foot and reached out for the doorknob with a shaking hand.

He hadn’t gotten this far before. Most of his doors had dissolved into smoke the moment he tried to put a hand on them. The one time he had half managed to grab the handle, he had been thrown forward. But not this time. The door felt solid, real. Grounded. This could be it, this could be the time. It could also be the time he was shredded into pieces, but he tried not to think of that. He recalled the specific coordinates Tyler had told him, replaying them in his mind. He pushed the door open and stepped through into darkness.

He stood alone in the darkness, too scared of yet another failure to open his eyes. It was silent, and pitch dark, and Josh worried he had made a mistake and was now floating around the veil in a million pieces. The thought frightened him, and he decided facing the wrath of Tyler would be less terrible. He squinted one eye open, just to take a peek. When he realised where he was, he couldn’t help but throw his fists in the air and cheer. “Yes!! Yes! I did it! I freaking did it!” 

He was standing in the centre of his new room, which he hadn’t actually seen before. Tyler insisted that not seeing the room beforehand would encourage him to try harder. He had only a few moments to take in the space before the door behind him opened, and he was greeted by the reaper himself. Josh thought he saw a faint smile playing on his lips, but it was gone by the time he spoke. “It only took you long enough.” 

“Tyler! I did it! Did you  _ see _ that! I was out there and now I'm here! Holy shit!” 

“Yes, I do believe that’s how travelling works. How do you feel?” 

“I feel great! I can’t believe I just did that!” Tyler didn’t look nearly as excited about his accomplishment as Josh felt.    
  
“Fantastic, meet me back in the living room and we’ll work on getting you those drums.” Tyler gave him a somewhat sinister smile and shut the door with a click, and a piece of paper slid under the door a second later. 

“Tyler…?” Josh tried the door handle, finding it wouldn’t budge. He should’ve known. The paper on the ground had a set of coordinated neatly printed on it. Committing them to memory, Josh closed his eyes again, envisioning the door of his childhood home. 

When he opened them again, he was right where he wanted to be, in the doorway to the living room. Tyler had been right, it was definitely easier. 

He was back on the couch with Titan on his lap and a book in hand, but looked up in surprise when Josh appeared. He looked taken aback for a moment, but his face quickly changed into a smile, throwing Josh off guard. He thought his legs might give out from the shock of it. 

“I didn’t expect you back so soon. You’re a quick learner.” 

“Quick?? It took me hours to get anywhere in the first place!” Despite his protests, he was glowing at the compliment. 

Tyler waved his hand in the air. “Hours is nothing, it takes most days to learn something that advanced.”

“You told me I would be useless!”

The reaper just shrugged and ran his hand down his cat’s back. “I was getting bored, I wanted you to hurry it along. I knew you were capable.” He gave Titan a final pat and set his book on the table next to him as he stood. “I guess we can go find you some new clothes now.”

“We-- wait what? Why? What’s wrong with these?” 

Tyler raised his eyebrows. “You really want to wear the same clothes for the rest of your existence?” 

Josh looked down at what he was wearing, he didn’t think it was that bad, but he didn’t think he would much care to wear it for all of eternity. “I guess not.” 

“Bringing a full drum kit in here is going to be a lot of work. We’ll start small, stock up your closet. If you can manage to bring in a t-shirt, then you can start moving up to bigger things. Baby steps.”   


Josh’s heart fluttered at the idea of his drums. He was already planning where in his new room he would put them. Not having a bed opened up so many possibilities. “Baby steps.” He agreed.

They travelled to the shops, separately this time. Josh couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he realised he’d not be taking Tyler’s hand to travel anymore. He tried to tell himself it was for the best. A 20 year old and a being that was probably millions of years old didn’t seem like a reasonable age gap. 

Still, it felt like a huge leap in responsibility for Josh, with Tyler trusting him to travel such a far distance on his own. Tyler assured him distance had nothing to do with the difficulty, so long as he got the steps right. That only made Josh a little nervous, it’s not like he was still in danger of dying again or anything. It took him a few tries until he appeared in the mall parking lot next to Tyler. 

“So are we like, stealing or what?” He had no money, he was nervous about how this worked. 

“The veil is merely a copy of the living world, when you bring something into it you’re making a copy of it. Whatever we take won’t even be missing from their inventory, it’s fine.”   
  
Josh was relieved to find out they would not, in fact, be shoplifting. They would have had an unfair advantage in that situation, if it were the case. 

Josh was surprised to still see cars in the parking lot. He had almost forgotten that winter days got dark so early. Tyler headed off at a brisk pace ahead of him, and Josh hurried to keep up. A shopper laden with bags hurried past, and he leapt to the side to avoid a collision. “Don’t worry about that, they can’t touch you.” Tyler spoke without looking back.

Sure enough, as they entered the building, Tyler didn’t even bother to open the door. He phased right through it, unbothered. Josh, however, was not nearly as unbothered. He tried to stay calm as he approached the door but couldn’t resist bracing for impact. It was unnecessary, of course. He passed right through, just as Tyler had done. 

“Wha? Woah! Can we do that at home?” He’d put all that effort into travelling out of his locked room when he could have just walked through the wall the whole time?

“This building doesn’t exist in the veil. The house was intentionally moved over by yours truly. Try to walk through one of those walls, you’ll smack right into it.” Josh was glad he hadn’t thought to walk through walls to escape. 

“Most buildings don’t exist in the veil, reapers have no reason for them to exist for our use.”

“Oh.” 

Turned out, it wasn’t just walls and doors they could walk through. That ability extended to everything, and everyone. It seemed that most people instinctively avoided them, but a few kids definitely ran straight through their legs. That took some getting used to for sure. 

“This is going to require effort, Josh. It’s not as simple as picking something up. You need to reach into the physical world, and bring whatever it is you want back as a ghost of itself. If you don’t concentrate, nothing will happen.” Tyler reached out for a passing stranger’s drink, but his hand merely passed through it. Josh wondered if a reaper had ever done that to him when he was alive.

“Find something you want, something you truly like. Something you’d have a strong connection to, if possible. Clothes you previously owned would work well, find something similar to something you used to wear often. 

Josh considered his choices, and headed off towards a department store, Tyler following close behind. 

He found the display of graphic shirts, hoping they had what he was looking for. He spotted it on the bottom shelf, a grey shirt with the NASA logo printed across the front. “Okay.” 

Tyler didn’t look overly impressed. “Well, I don’t have much to say on this. Just focus on grabbing the shirt. You’ll feel a sort of… barrier. Don’t let it stop you, but don’t force it. There’s a balance, find it. If you manage to get through, you’ll have to move quick. You’re not yet strong enough to withstand extended amounts of time in the living world. But don’t move too fast, or the veil will close around you and you’ll lose an arm.” 

Josh smiled weakly. “Great advice, thanks.”    
  
Tyler clapped him on the shoulder and Josh’s stomach fluttered. “Just find the balance and you’ll be fine.” 

Josh looked at the stack of shirts, noting that his size was right on top. Thank god, that would make things a million times easier. In and out, no messing around. He focused his mind on wanting the shirt, it had been one of his favourites when he was living. His hand passed right through, and disappointment settled in his chest. He hadn’t expected to succeed the first try, but he had kind of hoped he would. 

He tried again, his hand swiping through thin air once more.

“You’re not finding the barrier. Focus harder, move slower.” Tyler crossed his arms and leaned against a display. Of course he would show off his control over the two worlds, smug asshole. 

Josh tried to focus on the task at hand, moving slower and looking for the barrier that apparently existed. He thought he felt a slight resistance that time, but he was still unable to grab anything. He spent ten minutes swiping at the shirt like a cat at a laser beam before he achieved any sort of result. He felt something, like his hand was pushing against a rubber exercise ball. He pushed through, slowly. His fingers closed around soft grey fabric. Holding his breath, he pulled his arm back, scared it would be chopped off. The shirt was copying itself as he moved back, the original staying in place, but a shimmering version coming away with Josh. When he’d safely pulled his arm entirely back into the veil, he was holding a perfect replica of the folded shirts on the table. It had stopped shimmering after it had passed over.   
  
Josh admired the fabric in his hand. He was one step closer to his drums. 

“Great, you’ve got it down no problem. Next time will be even easier, I trust you can do it on your own. I’ve got some shopping of my own to do. I’ve been on the hunt for a new jacket.” Josh wasn’t sure if Tyler was impressed or not. He thought he might be, but the reaper evidently had other things to think about in that moment, like new jackets.

They split up, agreeing to meet back by the food court in an hour. It was the first time Josh had been alone since he had died, and he found himself a bit anxious at the thought. Tyler had promised there would be no reapers here, but Josh wasn’t entirely convinced. Trying to assure himself it would be alright, he headed off in search of some ripped jeans to match his new shirt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's kinda short but it felt better to split it up rather than make one monster long chapter

_ Tyler _

They were a good team, really. Tyler was used to working alone, and he had a long history of failing to play well with others. It was different with Josh.

He wasn’t so useless as the others had been. They’d worked out an unspoken agreement, counting on each other to make collections go smoother than Tyler had ever experienced in the past. They were able to handle more difficult cases with ease, collections Tyler would have released for other reapers to cover. The reluctant souls, the ones Tyler would have seen knocked unconscious to easier collect, now came willingly at the hands of Josh.  
  
It was a delicate game, requiring an amount of teamwork that Tyler would have previously never agreed on. Josh acted as the reaper, and Tyler the support. After an eternity of collecting, it wasn’t so bad to play the supporting role for a change. Tyler would let the soul know the details surrounding the collection, and Josh would weave elaborate scenarios to convince the souls to come with him, similar to how he had done with his first collection. It had become Tyler’s job to manipulate the scene so it matched whatever story Josh had chosen. He watched Josh charm souls into obedience that would have sooner gone for Tyler with a knife for daring to take them from their bodies. 

He had to admit, though, he missed his old collections. He had always loved being a bit dramatic, and his teamwork with Josh hadn’t allowed for much of that recently. Sure he was playing a variety of interesting roles, but it wasn’t the same when souls weren’t cowering in fear in front of you. He missed that. 

In the time between collections, they worked more on building Josh’s skills. Tyler hadn’t expected him to be doing this well this early on. He doubted Josh knew the extent of the difficulty of what he had mastered so far. The ability to manipulate the veil came naturally to reapers such as Tyler, but was something that typically took months or even years of practice to master in souls that were trained into the job. Josh had progressed from lifting a shirt to bringing over small objects such as books and shoes in under a week. A few weeks more, and he had managed to move a decent turntable setup into his new room. It wasn’t until he brought over a full sized bookshelf for his growing library that Tyler decided he was finally ready for his drums.

He was more than a bit hesitant to take the soul back to his original home, but Josh was annoyingly persistent that he just  _ had _ to have exactly his old set. No substitutes. 

“Just get a new set, Josh. I’ll personally help you bring over a new set if you just give this up.” He knew of a few warehouses, it would be easy for Josh to find something identical. 

“No! I can’t do that, Tyler. I need  _ my  _ drums!”   
  
“They will be yours, because you’ll own them.”

“You don’t understand! I need them.”   
  
“I’m not taking you back there, Joshua.” He pretended he didn’t notice the way Josh started when Tyler said his full name. He recovered quickly, crossing his arms and pouting. It was as if he knew Tyler found it near impossible to resist those puppy dog eyes. He tried to ignore the feeling in his chest.

“Fine, I’ll just go on my own.” 

Tyler felt his stomach drop. 

No, no no. That was absolutely not going to happen. The mere thought of Josh returning to his place of death alone struck rare fear into Tyler’s heart. It wasn’t uncommon for reaper souls in training to be driven to madness when visiting the place they had died. The memories held in those spots were intense, and could render a promising soul entirely useless. They regressed to a ghost like state, unable to leave the spot. They obsessed over what could have been, grieved over what had been lost, until they eventually rotted, becoming nothing more than an empty shell. It was as if their entire being had atrophied, despaired at their fate to the point that they could no longer be classified as any sort of sentient being. 

Something powerful was contained within those locations, something uniquely dangerous to each individual. It was often times the final test before a soul was granted full reaper status. If they were able to withstand the temptation and memories that came with visiting their old lives, they were considered fully committed to being a reaper. Not many made it that far, and even fewer passed. Tyler knew Josh was stronger than most, but he wasn’t entirely confident that the emotions tied to his old home wouldn’t be strong enough to pull Josh back. 

Josh was still staring at Tyler, challenging him. He quickly scanned through his options, trying to decide how much Josh needed to know. Was it more or less dangerous to let him know he would be walking into a potentially devastating situation?

“I can’t let you go alone, you know that. It’s not… safe.”   
  
“There’s been no issues so far, so what’s the problem with this? It’s my own home, why would there be danger there?”

“It’s not your home! This is your home now!” Tyler snapped, voice filled with more anger than he had intended. Josh looked taken aback, his face falling.

The reaper sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so harsh. That isn’t your home, not anymore. You can’t allow yourself to think like that. Returning to the place you’ve died is extremely dangerous, it’s driven many a soul to insanity. There’s a powerful pull at the site of your death, like a piece of you left behind. If you return, you might never come back, unless you’re strong enough to fight it. I can’t risk that, not yet. I’m not positive you’re strong enough yet.”

Josh was silent for a long minute. “I’m strong enough, I know I am.” His voice was quiet.

“You can’t be positive about that. I’ve seen promising souls waste away to nothing when returned to the site of their own collection. There’s no way to know for sure whether or not they’ll survive. I can’t let you go back, Josh.”   
  
“I need those drums. It probably sounds stupid to you, but I really need them. They have to be  _ mine _ .”   
  
Tyler understood, but he wasn’t convinced it was reason enough to risk one’s entire being.

“If you go, there’s no way for me to promise you’ll come back.”

“I understand, but please, Tyler. It’s important to me.” He looked at the reaper, his bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly in a pout.

Damn him and his stupid pout.

“Fine, but the moment you show any sign of wanting to stay, know I will not hesitate to render you unconscious and drag your sorry ass back home.”

Josh grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I knew you’d say yes.”

As annoyed as Tyler was, if Josh was lost after today, he didn’t know what he was going to do.    
  


_ Josh _

They decided to travel a few houses down from Josh’s, to take it slow. Tyler said it would mean a longer exposure to the threat, but that it would also be easier for him to quicker notice if something started to go wrong. 

He had to admit, he was nervous. He hadn’t realised it was such a big deal to be going back. He wasn’t entirely sure if Tyler was making it sound worse than it was just to scare him, but the look of fear in Tyler’s eyes when he had said he’d go alone was enough to convince him that maybe he was being completely serious. 

They walked along the sidewalk in silence. Josh could feel Tyler watching him as he took in his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had seen these surroundings. In the months before he had died, he had hardly left the house. He hadn’t done much of anything, really. Most of his time had been spent in his room, on his drums. 

He needed them back. He didn’t think Tyler understood why, and it was more than likely that the reaper thought Josh was risking his life for something insignificant. He didn’t expect him to understand, he had lived his whole existence with the ability to acquire whatever he pleased by simply picking it up. Josh had worked for these drums, for months. He had a shitty job at a shitty burger place with shitty people, but it paid well. Drums weren’t cheap, and custom drums were especially not. His was the only kit like it, one of a kind, so there would have been no way for him to just pick up a replacement. 

Even if there had been a way, his drums had history. The hours he had spent playing until his hands bled, all of the kit’s imperfections from years of use, his first set of drumsticks that he had broken but still kept on a shelf by his desk, those were irreplaceable. He couldn’t get those back anywhere else. He needed  _ his _ kit. 

They were nearing his house, now, and his chest felt tight. He didn’t want to prove Tyler right, but he needed his drums. He couldn’t back out now. The reaper’s eyes bore into him, constantly monitoring how he was doing. 

The closer they got, the more Josh kept his own eyes on the ground in front of him. He knew they’d arrived when Tyler’s steps slowed beside him. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to look up. He didn’t know what he would see, would the house be any different? Would they have changed anything after his death? It hadn’t been that long, or maybe it had. He couldn’t remember. Surely the outside would remain unchanged, even if years had passed. 

He was startled to feel Tyler’s hand brush against his, but the movement was reassuring. He looked up, and felt an odd tugging sensation in his chest. The house was the same as he had always remembered. The same front door, the same hanging chair on the porch, the same numbering on the wall. He took an involuntary step forward, not noticing he had moved until he felt Tyler’s hand on his shoulder, stopping him. 

“Are you sure? I can’t let you go in there unless you’re absolutely positive, Josh.”    


“I have to go, I need to go. Even,” He paused to consider what he was about to say. “Even if I’m lost after this, I need to try. I can’t keep going knowing I never even tried.” The hand left his shoulder. He didn’t let himself turn around to see Tyler’s reaction to his words. 

He headed towards the house slowly, never losing that tugging feeling. Like a string reeling him in, he moved almost robotically through the place that had held his entire life, not even pausing to consider that someone may have been home. Something in the back of his mind registered that Tyler had likely planned this visit to be to an empty house, though. 

Had his heart been beating, it would have been bursting straight through his chest at this point. His hand rested on the handle to his door. He didn’t know if his drums were inside. He didn’t know what his family had done to his room. It could have been to painful for them to look at, so they could have cleared it out. They could have auctioned it all off, or even worse, stashed everything away where they wouldn’t have to look at it and be reminded of their failure of a son. 

He could feel Tyler just a few steps behind him, watching his every move and making sure he wasn’t about to go ghost and insist on staying. Though he felt he was coping so far, the reaper had said the actual place of death was the most dangerous. He hadn’t felt anything that would make him want to stay, only that incessant pull towards his former room.

He pushed the door open. Nothing had changed. His room was frozen in time. It was as if he had just come home from a day at school, rather than returning for a visit from the afterlife. There was still a cup on his nightstand, the calendar on the wall was still dated for December, dirty clothes were still in the hamper, but most importantly, his drumsticks were still resting neatly atop his snare, just as he had left them for the final time. 

He stood still for many moments, just taking in his room. He remembered everything that had happened in this room. This was where he and his brother had played as kids, when they would have sleepovers on school nights just because they were having too much fun. This was where his sisters had taught him to braid their hair and paint his nails. Where he had his first kiss with a girl, and immediately knew girls weren’t for him. Where he had first snuck listening to a CD against house rules, and discovered his love for drums. This was the room that everything important in his life had ever happened. This was where he killed himself. It was here that he met Tyler for the first time. 

He felt a sadness wash over him, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He was rooted to the ground, unable to move for the weight pressing down on him. A voice was screaming in his mind, telling him that all he needed to do was grab the drums and get out. The sadness was on top of him, inside of him, around him. The enormity of that task was too much for him to consider. There was no way he could carry an entire drum kit back on his own, what had he been thinking? 

Something was shaking him, calling for someone. Was it him? He couldn’t tell anymore. He was tired, he wanted to go to sleep. Sleep on his bed, pretend everything had been a dream. He was pretty sure he had imagined Tyler, but he couldn’t remember. He could just stay here, go to sleep and wait for his mom to come home. He could wake up and play the drums he had missed so dearly, and his parents would call him downstairs for a warm meal with his family. 

He took a step towards the bed. He had not slept in so long, he was tired.

Josh hit the ground before he had even set his foot down.  
  
  
_ Tyler _

He was losing him. He was losing Josh. He’d recognised the signs as soon as they’d stepped foot inside the house. He never should have let him keep going, he should have stopped him before he made it up the stairs. 

No, he should have never made Josh come back here in the first place. He should have collected the drums himself, what had he been thinking? He hadn’t been in training nearly long enough to withstand the final test. It took years, sometimes decades to reach the point. Josh hadn’t even been dead for a full year yet. Tyler had been reckless, and now Josh was in danger. 

He wasn’t responding. His brown eyes were glossed over, staring at nothing. He didn’t seem to realise that Tyler was in the room with him. Fear gripped him tight, like a vice around his chest. Josh’s eyes shifted, and Tyler watched as he focused on the bed. 

No, no. He was losing him, and fast. He had no other choice. It was dangerous, it could be too little too late. If he put Josh out now, he might not come back. He could be too far gone, too far stuck in his past life. Though his physical self would return to their home, it may be nothing but an empty shell. His mind was in a panic, but he had no time to think. Josh had started towards the bed, and Tyler knew that would be his last move if he didn’t act fast.

Tyler’s eyes felt hot as he reached out to Josh and sent him into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realised i never posted this chapter and skipped ahead to the next one. we're back on track now though

_ Josh _

Josh’s head was pounding, a headache unlike any he had ever felt before. He tried to sit up, but felt his head spun violently and he collapsed back down. 

“Stay down, you’re not well.” A voice cut through the fog as something heavy settled on his chest to prevent him from moving again. Josh groaned, and everything faded back to black.

When he came to once more, the pressure was still on his chest. He cracked his eyes half open, and was greeted by the furry black form of Titan lying atop him. When the creature noticed Josh was awake, his purrs rumbled through Josh. He opened his eyes further, no longer feeling the pounding and fog in his head.   
  
He was in the living room, lying on the couch. There was a blanket draped across him, and a vaguely uncomfortable decorative pillow under his head. Tyler was in a chair across from him, frowning at a notebook as he tapped a pencil rhythmically against the arm of his seat. The fireplace was lit, emitting a faint crackling sound. The whole scene was very domestic, and Josh found himself almost wanting to fall back asleep just to bask in the cozy feeling a bit longer.

Titan let out a gentle “mrrrp”, and Tyler glanced over lazily. Seeing Josh, his eyes widened, and his pencil fell onto his lap. He recovered a split second later, but Josh hadn’t missed the relief and shock that had registered on the reaper’s face. His voice was even when he spoke. “You’re awake.” 

Josh shifted and tried to sit up further without disturbing the cat. “I guess I am. What are you doing?” 

Tyler closed his notebook, maybe a little too quick to be casual about it. “Writing.” 

“Writing what?”    


“Nothing you need to know about. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, why am I on a couch?”

“I told you that I’d drag your unconscious self home the moment you showed signs of wanting to stay in your old life. I’m guessing you can piece together what happened.” 

The feeling of loss and longing came rushing back to him, making him feel ill. It felt like a cold rock had settled in Josh’s stomach.He’d almost died. No, worse than died. He’d almost faded from existence. He remembered everything. Well, almost everything. He couldn’t remember past the feeling of grief that had overtook him as he stared around his room.

Souls didn’t sleep, Josh didn’t need sleep. Tyler had knocked him out, brought him home. Josh had been close enough to staying that Tyler had been forced to an extreme. He knew Tyler would not have cheerily carried him back if Josh had been capable of walking. The thought that he had been so close to a second death scared him more than he would admit. 

He’d risked it all for a stupid drum set. He could only imagine how pissed Tyler would be at him for that. Risking his life, or death, for an instrument that could easily be replaced was incredibly stupid of him. And yet, he couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d managed to bring part of his kit home before things went downhill.

“My drums, where are they? Did I get them back?” His gut told him no, he’d been out cold before he had even a chance to touch them. 

“In the other room.” 

Josh was already preparing himself to go through the stages of grief when Tyler’s words pulled him back in. “I- wait what?”

“It was dangerous for me to have even let you go back there. I knew you weren’t ready, and I knew the risks. I brought them back after you. I can’t have you going back there to try again, the risks are far too high. I know you’d nonstop ask me about them until you had them, so I decided it’d be in both our best interest if I just brought them home for you.” 

He sounded annoyed and distant on the outside, but Tyler’s voice held something deeper, something more. He couldn’t completely disguise his guilt. He blamed himself for what had happened. 

Josh was momentarily at a loss for words. “Thank you, really. That means a lot to me.” 

Tyler shrugged and fidgeted with the pencil he had recovered from his lap. “I’d want someone to do the same for me, I guess. If I was in your spot, not that I ever would be.” Josh swore he saw a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks.

“Do you play drums then?” Josh asked stupidly, just for sake of breaking the silence that had fallen over them after Tyler’s confession. 

“No.” There was more to his answer, Josh could tell. 

“Oh, what do you play then?” 

Tyler spun the pencil around his finger. “Piano.” 

Josh definitely hadn’t been expecting that answer. But at the same time, the more he looked at Tyler, the more he could see how it made sense. Once you knew Tyler played piano, there was no way he  _ couldn’t _ play piano. Everything about him screamed pianist, from the deftness of his fingers as he tapped out rhythms on the chair, to the careful posture he always maintained. 

He tried to disguise his surprise, and his fascination. “That’s cool. I guess you’d have a lot of time to get good at it, you know with all your free time.” 

Tyler hummed and stood up, picking up his notebook. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Why did he always seem to run from any talk of himself outside of his job?

“I thought you’d want to see your drums, since you decided they were worth dying for.” He clicked his tongue at Titan, who leapt off of Josh to trail after his owner. They left the room, not even waiting for Josh to get up. 

He threw the blanket off himself and stood, surprised that he felt perfectly fine now. He headed towards his room, frowning when he saw the door was open, but the room was empty. No Tyler, no drums. Where had they gone?

He looked to his left, seeing that the door at the end of the hall was cracked open. Tyler always kept his door firmly shut, so Josh took it as an invitation to go inside. 

The room was like nothing he expected. There was a massive desk setup against one side of the room, the surface covered with speakers and computers and mixers that looked far too high tech for Josh to even consider touching. Various bass guitars and ukuleles hung neatly on the walls. There was a keyboard piano resting on a stand, but its presence was overshadowed by the grand piano that took up nearly half of the room. Titan was perched on the bench, his black tail flicking behind him. Josh held his breath for fear of fogging up the glossy black surface. 

Tyler was in the chair at his desk, his notebook beside him. Josh wondered once again what Tyler had been writing. Was it music? He couldn’t own all of this and not write his own music. “Your drums are there. I don’t know how you like them set up so I’ve left that to you.” He nodded beside Josh, where his entire kit was neatly stacked. The sight made a smile crack across his face. “You really got them!” 

“Of course I did, why would I lie?” Tyler spun his pencil around his fingers again, regarding Josh with a look of indifference. 

“Do you like… make music?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Sometimes. Wouldn’t make much sense for me to have all this gear if I never used it, wouldn’t you think?” 

“Uh, yeah I guess. That’s pretty cool.” Josh felt like he was invading Tyler’s space. Sure, he had essentially been invited in, as it was obvious Tyler had wanted him to follow him in, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was no longer welcome. This was obviously an important place to Tyler, his sanctuary away from all the craziness of being a reaper for a living. He wanted to ask if he could listen to something Tyler had made, but he knew that question would not be received well. He kept his mouth shut, for once, knowing Tyler would bring the topic up when he felt it necessary. 

“Uh, thanks for bringing these back for me. I really do appreciate it. Sorry for being a dumbass, too. I wasn’t like, trying to die. I just really wanted my drums back.” He knew he was rambling, and he knew he was two words away from being kicked out of the room. “I’ll just, take these I guess?” He looked up to see that Tyler wasn’t looking at him. He was back to looking at his notebook, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Tyler?” 

“Hm?” The reaper didn’t look up as he crossed something out. “Can I… take my drums back?” 

“I don’t care what you do with them. Take them, leave them. But do be warned that if you leave them, you might not see them again.”   
  
“Uh, right. I’ll just… leave you alone then.” Tyler made no acknowledgement to his statement, and Josh took that as his signal to leave. He carried his set piece by piece into his own room, carefully setting everything in place. 

Tyler seemed to ignore him the entire time. Josh wondered what he had done wrong to change the reaper’s mood so suddenly. 

He then spent far too long adjusting each drum and cymbal, moving them half an inch to the left, or towards the back. It had to be perfect.

When he was finally pleased, he emptied a fresh pack of sticks into their holder. Picking up the two that had been resting on his kit before his death, he revelled in the feeling of the smooth wood against his palms. Their weight was familiar and safe. He tapped out a few basic rhythms, making sure he still knew his rudiments. When he was confident he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself with Tyler listening in the next room over, he started playing a simple song, something to ease himself back into it. He hadn’t played in months, and he felt a bit stiff and awkward. 

As he had expected, he was back in the flow of things in no time. There was nothing but him and his instrument. Everything else melted away, and all he knew was the flow of the beat, and the vibrations through his hands. Josh was so absorbed by his drums that he hadn’t noticed the broken pair of sticks that had formerly rested on a dusty shelf, but were now carefully placed inside a display box resting atop the lone bookshelf against his wall.    
  


_ Tyler _

Tyler hated to admit that he had feared for Josh’s safety as much as he did. He hated that he had spent two full days by his side, leaving only once to fetch a few essentials as he waited and hoped the soul would wake up. There had been moments where he swore he saw Josh’s form fading, and thought it was the end. The first time he had moved, Tyler panicked. Something had been wrong, because Josh had nearly fallen off the couch trying to sit up. Titan must have sensed something was up, because he had made it his personal mission to make sure Josh stayed safely on the couch after that incident. 

He’d spent the next day after that furiously writing and scratching out lyrics in his notebook, too fearful to check on how the soul was doing. He only hoped Titan would alert him if something went wrong. 

Josh was annoying. He talked to much, he was always too slow to keep up, and he asked too many questions. His face was annoying, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled eyes when he smiled, the perfect blinding white of his teeth, even the faint freckles were annoying. Tyler hated that he cared so much about him. Everything about Josh Dun was stupid, and annoying. 

But Josh was talented. Tyler knew he had a passion for drums, but he hadn’t realised exactly how talented the soul had been in his past life. As he played, his love for his instrument bled into the sound, enriching every beat. This wasn’t just someone who knew their way around a rhythm, this was someone who felt the music with their whole being. Someone who put their everything into each and every note.

He couldn’t help the pang of affection that ran through his stomach. 


	8. Chapter 8

They’d been slacking in their collections, opting instead to stay inside and work with their instruments. Tyler had certainly never considered that a full sound could be composed of merely piano and drums, but at the same time he realised that’s all you needed. A beat and a melody. He’d plunk out a song on piano, and Josh would come in with his own perfectly matched drumming. It added a fullness to the songs that Tyler hadn’t realised was missing. He didn’t think he had ever played music with another being before. 

He knew their days of fun were limited, people weren’t going to stop dying just because Reaper Tyler was having a good time. As much as he wished he could work on music with Josh for the rest of eternity, he knew they had to return to work sooner rather than later. If he vanished for too long, there were many that would question him. 

The number of souls open for collection had been steadily increasing over the past few days, and he and Josh had decided to tackle the issue head on. Tyler hadn’t the faintest idea of what could be causing the backup, but he figured he might as well help clear it up.

He knew something was seriously wrong from the moment they set foot out of the house. Something had happened, there was too much magic. Reapers were rarely this active, there was never enough activity for their lingering magic to be noticeable in the air. But today, it was. 

The only time he had ever felt magic around him at such a level was on the day Heaven and Hell closed. Had they been reopened? No, surely not. He would have known had the doors reopened. The veil wouldn’t be so empty around him, it would be full of celebrating reapers. 

He hadn’t realised the backup they’d noted was a big deal, but the wrongness in the air sent every alarm bell inside him ringing. It was evident that Josh was clueless as to what was happening. Tyler made a mental note to help him fine tune his senses later, but first he needed to find out what was going on.

They made their way through the veil, choosing walking over their typical transportation. Tyler didn’t want to risk skipping over anything important that could be nearby. It wasn’t long before he saw two figures in the distance that appeared to be deep in conversation. They approached the pair warily, just in case. Reapers were bound to be on edge in these conditions, and Tyler didn’t want to risk startling anyone. 

As they grew nearer, he began to recognise the pair. They looked up in unison when Tyler and Josh stopped near them. The shorter of the two gave Tyler a respectful nod.

“Tyler.”

“Brendon,” Tyler returned the greeting. “What’s happening?”

 Tyler noted the other reaper’s companion, a tall and lanky man by the name of Ryan. He was eyeing Josh with suspicion, and it gave Tyler a bad feeling.

“Souls have been escaping, wreaking havoc. Normal collections have been stalled, it’s been too much of an effort to corral everyone back where they belong. Where have you been? No one’s seen you for days.” 

“I’ve had other business to attend to.” If nursing a sick soul back to health and writing song lyrics counted as business, sure. He wasn’t sure Brendon would consider it to be so, but what was it to him? 

“Hm.” Brendon crossed his arms, but knew better than to further press the issue. “Who’s this?” 

“Josh, Brendon. Brendon, Josh. The twink in the back with the death stare is Ryan.”

Ryan smirked, immediately changing his expression and roaming his eyes over Josh, mocking Tyler’s choice of words. He could have killed him on the spot just for that, but he managed to keep his cool. It wasn’t worth it to start a fight today, even if every possessive instinct inside him was screaming out at the other reaper.

“I suppose you consider yourself above throwing maggots back into the earth, then.” Brendon sneered. 

“I do, actually. I had strict rules set in place for the management of this system. It seems they’ve been ignored, as I can assure you no one would be escaping if proper guard had been kept. You’ve been getting sloppy, Brendon. Following someone else’s orders, ignoring your assignment? I’d think you would know better than that. Shouldn’t at least one of you be on watch? I could have sworn you were assigned to help guard Hell for the next millennium, to prevent this exact event from happening.”

The other reaper floundered for an excuse as to why he had left his post. Someone else had been giving orders, he’d never known a reaper to directly disobey their assignment. A reaper would never disobey an order, but there was nothing stopping them from giving out their own if the opportunity arose. Tyler knew Hell’s reapers were often less than cooperative, but he realised he hadn’t seen how lax things had become recently. 

He’d been too distracted by his own affairs to remember the fate of the entire afterlife was depending on his plan running smoothly. He should have been more present to ensure things were alright, to ensure no one was attempting to take over his plan. Shame burned in his stomach, but he twisted it into a ball and threw it back towards Brendon.

“You’ve been so busy throwing these ‘maggots’ back in their place that you’ve left reapers such as Josh and I with no other option than to work double. We’ve handled every one of those souls you’ve neglected to collect. Not only have you made a mess, but you’re incapable of cleaning it up effectively. I’d hoped you would be a leader amongst your reapers, Brendon. 

“You’re one of the few I’d once admired. I want to see you back at your post, both of you. I should think you would consider yourself above collecting escaped souls, leave that to those who don’t have vitally important jobs. The best you can do at present is prevent more from escaping, stop it at the source. I expect at least one of you to be on guard during your shifts until your assignment is up. If you’re so desperate for a piece of the action, take turns. One guard, one hunt. If I return to find that your post is empty, I can assure you the resulting punishment will be less than pleasant. Whoever gave you orders to leave had no authority to do so.”

Brendon’s eyes flashed yellow at Tyler’s words, but he made no comment. He knew better than to disobey a direct order from someone above him. He turned swiftly on his heel, Ryan following suit. 

Tyler waited until they were well out of sight before turning to the soul beside him. “Josh, we’re going back home.”

“Wait, Tyle-” 

Tyler had gripped Josh’s wrist and whisked them back home before he could finish his thought.   


"We’re staying here. You do not leave this house, you do not leave my sight. I hope you brought enough sticks with you, drummer boy, because you are not to leave this house under any circumstances, understand?”

“What? Why? Tyler, are you insane? Did you not hear them? We should be helping! We don’t have posts to uphold, we can help!”

Tyler moved without thinking, gripping Josh’s shirt and slamming him against the wall. His eyes were wide, staring at the reaper with unfiltered fear. 

“That is not your place, Joshua.” Tyler growled. “You’re not a reaper, you’re a soul. There is no one to officially bridge you from soul to reaper. There is NOTHING to differentiate you from these escaped souls. If anyone finds out what you are, they WILL throw you where they believe you belong. I wouldn’t hesitate to assume any given reaper would throw you in Hell, just for daring to attempt to deceive them.”

He loosened his grip on Josh, who was looking thoroughly shaken. “You saw how those two were looking at you, they know something’s up. They know something’s wrong. They would never challenge you in front of me, but there’s nothing stopping them from going behind my back to get to you. Brendon plays by the rules, and so does Ryan. They follow every order, every rule, without question. They don’t stop to think, they just act.” 

He released Josh completely and braced his hands behind his back, pacing up and down in front of the shocked soul. “You’re good, but you’re not good enough. You’re only suspicious to them now because they’ve never seen you before. There’s been no new reapers for eons, it’s likely they just want to see who you are, where you came from.”

His chest felt tight with fear at the idea of Brendon and Ryan finding out the truth about Josh. “We’ll have to take this further. I can only take you so far on my own, you need permission to become a full reaper, but I can take you right up to that step. Right now you’re no more than a soul with extraordinary abilities, but that’s not enough. Souls can have abilities, but only reapers can have magic. It’s essential to who we are, what we do.”

“What do we do, then? Teach me magic overnight?”

“Not overnight, no. It’ll take weeks, maybe months. We’ll have to work fast, I can’t risk you going outside again without at least a basic understanding of reaper magic.”

“Wait, you’re serious? Tyler, you said it yourself, I’m just a soul. I can’t learn  _ magic. _ ” 

“You can and you will.” Tyler growled. “Without magic, you die. Again. Plain and simple. The next time a reaper comes for you I can guarantee it won’t be nearly as pleasant.” Tyler was already formulating a training plan. “Stay here, do  _ not _ leave. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he left without waiting for Josh to argue. 

\-----

_ Josh _

Josh paced the length of the living room, waiting for Tyler to return. Him, learn magic. Him, Josh, magic. No way. Tyler didn’t know what he was talking about. You can’t just teach someone  _ magic _ . Sure, maybe it was simple to teach another reaper, but Tyler had made it clear on multiple occasions that Josh was  _ not _ a reaper. He was a soul, plain and simple. A soul who could do much more than your average joe, but still a soul nonetheless.

There was a loud crash in the entryway, followed by a string of threats. Josh’s stomach clenched at the sound of Tyler’s voice. He hated that the reaper had such an effect on him when he was angry. He had no right to be that hot when he was threatening his life. 

He peeked around the corner to see Tyler, but he was not alone. He was holding a soul in each arm, who were both thrashing against his grip. One was desperately trying to twist around to snap its jagged teeth at the reaper’s flesh, who seemed largely unbothered by the fact. 

The crash had resulted from one of the flailing soul’s knocking over the coat stand by the door, and the threats had been Tyler claiming he would rip them to pieces and personally throw them back into Hell if they dared ruin his house. 

Tyler met Josh’s eyes, still hiding behind the corner. “Clear the living room.” He commanded, and Josh nodded quickly before rushing to do as he was asked. He pushed everything against the walls, trying to make as much floor space as he possibly could. He looked up, and nearly dropped the lamp he was holding. The souls Tyler had been wrestling with were now unconscious, floating into the room on their own. A familiar Adidas jacket followed, a black cat winding around his legs. 

“Excuse the commotion, I had to get them here fast. There wasn’t time to knock them out elsewhere, I didn’t want anyone tracking me.” Josh didn’t understand his reasoning, but he didn’t question. 

“I brought them for you to practice. You’ll never be able to match the magic of a true reaper, but there are some things I can teach you. What you’ll learn is less of magic, and more of a manipulation. Magic is, of course, merely a manipulation of things around you, but you understand what I mean.” Josh nodded, though he definitely did not understand. 

“You can travel, that’s manipulation of the space around you. You’re able to bring your own belongings over, that’s manipulation of the veil itself. Simple, basics. You were able to master those rather quickly, so I expect nothing less here. It’s a small step forward, really. You should be fine.” Josh didn’t feel like he would be fine, he felt like he was going to be a massive disappointment. 

“You need to know how to defend yourself. I can’t say you’ll ever defeat another reaper, but you should at least be able to hold them off. You should, however, be able to defeat another soul. You’re far stronger than they’ll ever be.” 

The two bodies that had been previously floating thudded to the floor. “You’re going to put them to sleep. They’ve been sedated, for now, but they’ll start to recover once I lift my magic. You’re going to put them back, I don’t want to see a single movement from them. You should be able to put them so deeply into a sleep that it’s essentially death, understand?” Josh nodded, fear rising in his throat. 

How? If Tyler had struggled physically with these souls, what was he to do if he was unable to take them out with magic? He would be helpless against them, and would likely end up with a nice chunk missing from his arm. 

Tyler must have sensed the fear in Josh, because his voice was gentler when he spoke. “I won’t release them at full strength. They’ll still be a bit drowsy, you just need to lure them back to unconsciousness.” Josh nodded, not feeling any more confident about the situation. He should have prepared better, somehow. He hadn’t realised that they would be jumping straight into this magic thing as soon as Tyler returned. 

“You’re going to feel the air around you. You have to sense it, understand it. Try and focus on the space around the souls. Find their energies, focus on it. It’s like a flame, a flame that represents their life force. The goal is to put that flame out. What’s the best way to put out a flame?”

“Uh, smother it?” Josh guessed.

“Exactly. I want you to imagine you have a blanket in front of you. A thick, warm blanket. It’s made of your own energy, your own power. It’s woven with your magic, more powerful than the souls. You’re going to throw that blanket over them, over their energies. You want to suffocate those flames, prevent them from growing. The flames should get smaller, they should vanish. When they’ve died, the soul should be entirely unconscious.”

Josh tried to keep everything straight in his mind, but already knew he was bound to fail.

“I’m going to ease up, just a little, on one. Find their flame, put your blanket over it.”

He knew from the moment Tyler lifted his own magic that things would go south. The soul groggily opened its eyes, looking around the room for a moment before clearing and locking menacingly onto Josh. The emptiness unnerved him, and he found himself losing focus fast. He was nearly in a trance of shock and fear, but quickly snapped out of it when the soul lunged towards him with an inhuman growl, teeth bared. 

He shouted and stumbled backwards, falling against the couch he’d shoved to the side minutes earlier. He barely registered the soul slumping back to the ground as he scrambled for his footing back. 

He stood up, feeling incredibly embarrassed from his fright, and his mistake. He refused to look at Tyler when he spoke, dreading the look of disappointment he knew would be on his face. 

When Tyler spoke, his voice was firm yet surprisingly gentle and encouraging. “It’s fine, try again. It won’t happen first try. Focus, feel. You need to find the flame, put it out. I still have control over them, they can’t hurt you. I’ll take them down a notch this time. Focus, Joshua.”

He watched as a single soul once again opened its eyes, its mouth slightly open to reveal its rows of jagged teeth. It was notably more subdued than it had been last time. Josh took a deep breath and stepped forward, focused on finding the energy around the soul Tyler had woken. He had no idea what he was looking for.

He tried again and again, to no avail. He was beginning to lose hope that this was even possible, and Tyler was beginning to look annoyed. He’d started off relatively positive, considering the situation, but it was evident he was quickly growing frustrated at Josh’s lack of progress.

He couldn’t bear to let Tyler down yet again. He was the sole reason Josh had been given a second chance, and he wasn’t going to throw it away. He tried to fill himself with renewed energy, determined to never see that expression on the reaper again. He was going to do this, he was going to master this. He closed his eyes, and tried again. 

The first time he managed to knock out the soul, Josh nearly ran to Tyler and hugged him with glee. He remembered just in time that Tyler would knock  _ him _ out if he ever dared to do something of that sort. His insides swelled with warmth at the slight smile the reaper gave him. Maybe he wasn’t going to be such a disappointment after all. 

Tyler worked with Josh until he’d mastered the ability to put out and wake up each soul with relative ease. Tyler coached him through dialling back this new ability, so that he was able to alter the level of consciousness, from something as small as the inability to speak, all the way up to a dead sleep. 

They then moved on to floating small objects, moving up in size until he was able to levitate multiple souls entirely by himself. He jokingly asked if he could levitate Tyler, but his half spoken request was cut off by a sharp look from the reaper.

They worked on more than just magic. Tyler had discovered Josh was severely lacking in hand to hand combat, and decided it was best he learned to fight the old fashioned way as well, just in case. Even a powerful reaper would be momentarily set back by an arm snapped in half. 

Tyler was a remarkably brilliant teacher. Josh had forgotten how patient and helpful he could be when he was teaching. He still had his sharp tongue, but he was more understanding, more forgiving of mistakes. They trained nonstop for hours on end, only breaking for Tyler to deliver the souls they’d practiced, and return with a fresh set. Josh lost track of how many days had passed. His only focus was on improving, on impressing Tyler. He hated the disappointment in those brown eyes when he failed, and he hated more the fear he could see lingering. 

They gradually came to a point where all Tyler had left for Josh was a reminder to keep practicing, and to stay in the house. He’d been on lockdown for weeks at this point, training nearly nonstop. When Tyler was out collecting, Josh would allow himself a break for his music. He missed when they had been able to play together. Tyler hadn’t touched his piano since before they’d ran into Brendon and Ryan. 

He supposed preparing himself to prevent his second death was worth the lost music. He felt more prepared, which was a small comfort. The idea of reapers coming after him was still utterly terrifying, and he couldn't say he felt confident he would survive, but he at least knew he’d now be able to go down fighting. 

The worst part wasn’t the fear of losing his newfound life, it was the fear of losing Tyler.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe i love titan

_ Tyler _

Tyler had thought the situation might improve with time, that reapers would realise the havoc souls were wreaking in the veil and start doing their jobs properly. He was dead wrong. Rather, everything had gotten progressively worse, far beyond anything he would have imagined.

He’d been forced to remain unseen during both his normal collections and his round up collections, for more often than not the escaped souls would fight back if they sensed an unfriendly reaper coming near them. They had no chance against him, of course, but it certainly didn’t stop them from trying. He wasn’t a fan of senseless violence, so he allowed himself to stay unseen until the last possible second. He was much like a hunter stalking his prey, and he greatly enjoyed the expressions on the souls faces when they realised they’d be going back in the pit. 

He had to admit he revelled in their fear, as well. He figured if the veil was going to be lawless, so would he. He was generally fairly reserved in his appearance, presenting himself as human as possible to avoid frightening new souls. These old souls, however, he didn’t give a shit about. Let them be scared for making his job hell, for forcing his trainee to be on lockdown for weeks. His typically brown eyes shone their natural red, his teeth changing into a mass of razor sharp fangs, his black coated fingers lengthening into twisted claws. One grin from a suddenly appeared reaper was typically all it took to scare whoever he had cornered into temporary submission, though his appearance didn’t seem to deter their attacks if they saw him coming. 

Tyler’s work attire hadn’t been the only thing to change dramatically. The ghosts, previously thought to be harmless as they never caused much of an issue to reapers, were ruthless against freely roaming souls. Many of them enjoyed taunting the ghosts, expecting their unresponsive forms to remain as they were. It had come as a shock the first time, but by now Tyler was used to the ghosts turning on the souls, brutally ripping them to shreds when their taunting went too far. They immediately reverted to their typical vegetative state once the deed had been done, so Tyler considered it a service to the reaper community, rather than a setback. It was one less soul he had to deal with containing and controlling. 

There were few reapers left that Tyler had trust in. Patrick, a former reaper of heaven, was one of those few. He was an excellent guard, as were his companions. It was the only place Tyler trusted to deliver any soul, fresh or recaptured. He had yet to hear reports of escaped souls under Patrick’s control, and he hoped it would remain that way. It was a pain travelling so far and going through the extensive security for each collection, but it was less of a pain than having to recollect the same set of souls every other week.

The most worrisome change, however, was the talk. The other reapers tried to keep it hushed, but it wasn’t long before it reached Tyler. They knew about Josh, and they knew Tyler was sheltering him, trying to “infiltrate” them. He’d heard of the stirrings of a new group, a small collection of reapers headed by Brendon. Tyler had always thought of him as a loyal reaper, traditional, resistant to disobeying orders. Evidently, that was no longer true. From what he had gathered, Brendon was forming ranks of other rogue reapers, and they had a target.

Josh.

Once Tyler had realised what they were after, he was almost exclusively in stealth mode. He had enemies, and no way of knowing who they were. He couldn’t risk being followed, couldn’t risk anyone knowing where Josh was located. If they found him, it would surely be the end. Josh could fight well enough to hold off a few rogue souls, or perhaps even a ghost, but there was no way he would be able to withstand a force of reapers invading his home. His new knowledge of magic was useful in a fight, but Tyler had realised it was an ability he needed too late for it to be of any use. Brendon and his cult knew Josh was a normal soul, there was no amount of basic magic from the red curled soul that would convince them otherwise.

Had he taught Josh earlier, they could have had a chance at convincing them. But he hadn’t, and there was nothing to be done about that now. 

After each of Tyler’s shifts was finished, he never took the same route home twice. He’d seen a few souls on his trail despite concealing himself, so he now took extra caution to avoid any chance of them following him home. He’d jump from place to place, sometimes lingering, sometimes leaving immediately. He tried his best to keep his movements random, occasionally taking upwards of an hour moving from place to place before he was satisfied that no one was trailing him. 

He’d been feeling extra on edge on this day, after Patrick had hastily warned him that Brendon’s ranks had grown exponentially in the last few days. That had settled a bad feeling in his chest, and he quickly abandoned the rest of his collections in favour of spending the next hour trying to get home to Josh safely. 

When he finally arrived in the doorway, he realised it had been a waste of an hour. An hour that he could have spent helping Josh.

The house was a disaster, furniture and books scattered throughout the hallway, and in the living room. The walls and floors were spattered with the thick silvery blood that leaked from souls when they were injured. Panic set in, and he sprinted around the corner, fearing the worst.

Josh was sitting in an armchair, Titan purring softly on his lap. “Oh, you’re back!” He said brightly, seemingly oblivious to the disaster around him. Tyler stood still, shocked. He truly hadn’t expected Josh to be sitting upright, not a scratch on him, holding a cat, two unconscious souls with ankles and wrists bound with yellow tape resting against the wall. Titan leapt gracefully off of the soul’s lap and flicked his tail against Tyler’s legs. He could think of nothing to do except stare, and it took him more than a few seconds to gather himself enough to speak.

“Josh… what the  _ fuck _ happened?”   
  


_ Josh _

He was starting to get bored, really, really bored. There was only so much you could do in a house this small. Tyler did his best to bring Josh anything he asked for; books, music, movies, games, even new toys for Titan. He’d grown tired of practicing magic (though he did still do so daily, if only to avoid angering Tyler). 

He didn’t think he was going to actually  _ use _ the magic. 

Josh’s attention was drawn away from his newest digital drum kit when Titan abruptly sprinted from his perch in Josh’s room. He removed his headphones, hearing shuffling in the entryway. He assumed it was Tyler returning home, armed with a fresh set of souls for Josh to practice on, and he put his headphones back on. He twirled his sticks between his fingers, not noticing anything was wrong until there was an ear splitting screech from the hallway. Josh jumped so hard he nearly fell off his seat, all his senses immediately going into defense mode.

The screech had turned into a hiss, which gave way to indistinguishable voices shouting. He made his way to the door, opening it slowly with shaking hands and peering outside. There were three people gathered in the entry, two males and one female from what he could tell. They were facing off against Titan, which Josh assumed was the source of the ungodly noise he’d heard moments earlier. 

Every hair on the cat’s back was standing straight up, and Josh could’ve sworn he saw sinister spikes rising along Titan’s spine.

The trespassers were trying to reason with the creature, the man who appeared to be the leader was holding his hands up in surrender. “Woah, there, easy. That’s a good kitty.”

His male companion was cowering behind the female, both of whom were looking uneasy and irritated at the situation they found themselves in. “Ryan didn’t warn us there would be a fucking demon in here! He said this would be easy work, an easy target! Little chicken shit shouldn’t even fight back, he said. Unfuckingbelievable.”

Titan leapt forward with a growl that sounded like no cat Josh had ever encountered. All three backed towards the door, but none made a move to leave. A chill ran down Josh’s spine at the mention of Ryan’s name. He’d suspected as much, but it wasn’t any nicer to have his suspicions confirmed. 

He allowed himself a few seconds to assess the situation. He couldn’t feel any magic from these souls, not in the way that radiated from Tyler. He didn’t think they were reapers, likely they were lower level henchmen, just normal souls. Either that, or they were really good at hiding their magic. In that case, Josh was thoroughly screwed.

Titan was plenty a fearsome force alone, but Josh wasn’t about to hide in his room alone while a  _ cat _ fought off the intruders. Tyler would be pissed if Josh endangered himself unnecessarily, but he knew he couldn’t hide forever. Tyler had kept everything very hushed, but he knew he was in danger. He’d had a feeling someone would come for him eventually, he considered himself lucky that neither Brendon nor Ryan themselves had appeared to take him on. 

Three seemingly ordinary souls? He could handle that, probably. 

After a brief moment to prepare himself and review everything he’d learned in the last few weeks, Josh armed himself with his drumsticks, figuring he could find something more dangerous in the kitchen if it really came down to it. He focused his mind on himself, on his presence. He imagined it growing duller, the shining light of his being fading, as if someone had dragged the opacity slider on his life down. 

He stepped softly back to the door, closing it as quietly as he could manage. He was in the living room a blink later, knowing it was the safest place to move to in case he hadn’t managed to fully conceal himself. He slowly stepped around the corner, relieved to see that no one reacted when he moved fully into the hallway with Titan. The cat kinked his tail to acknowledge Josh’s presence. 

“Out of my fucking way, you mangy beast.” The leader tried to sidestep Titan, but it seemed the cat was having none of that. He swiped out with razor sharp claws, shredding deep gouges down the man’s legs. A shining and silvery liquid poured from the wounds, unlike anything Josh had seen before. Drops of the thick liquid shone in stark contrast against Titan’s black coat as he bared his fangs in defense. 

They were definitely nothing more than average souls, then. A reaper’s blood was dark red, not shining silver.

The female soul, who was definitely looking like she regretted this mission, spoke up. “Maybe we should g-”

“Enough!” The leader gasped, his anger no less evident through his obvious pain. “We just have to get past this fucking demon, the rest is easy work. He hasn’t even come out to fight, it’ll be simple. I’ll hold back this fucking rat, one of you sneak past and start checking the house.”

A plan started to form in Josh’s mind. He did his best to communicate to Titan that he should let whoever attempted to break through go, and that he would deal with it. 

The male and female argued silently, both unwilling to make a move past Titan, who was now sitting patiently, his tail curled around his feet. The spines down his back were clearly evident now that his fur had smoothed. Josh thought it looked badass. 

“You, just fucking go.” He shoved the smaller man forward, who stumbled and yelped as he was pushed right into Titan’s range of attack. He froze, waiting for another attack, but the cat merely licked his paw and ran it over his face, calm as could be. The man glanced back, and was motioned forward by the girl. He crept forward slowly, placing his feet carefully as he stepped around the animal.

Titan paid no attention, continuing his grooming. 

The injured man grinned when his buddy had safely passed. “Ha, fucking idiot. Not so smart now, are you kit-” Titan leapt straight into the air, raking his claws through the man’s face and interrupting his sentence with a howl of pain and fury. Josh turned his back on the blindly stumbling man, who was too busy knocking over a table loaded with towers of books to notice his companions’ looks of horror. 

Josh trailed the second male, waiting patiently as he checked the bathroom, then the laundry room, then Tyler’s room, with no luck. Josh’s room was next, and he saw a twisted smile spread across his face. Josh moved back into his room, beside his drum kit. He set his sticks down, in case he needed both his hands. 

The door opened slowly, and the man entered. He seemed a lot more confident now that there was a wooden barrier between him and Titan. “Here, Joshie, Joshie…” He called out for him softly like he was an animal. “We’re not here to hurt you, we’re here to help.” Ha, sure. 

He waited until he was in the middle of the room, to avoid crashing into anything. There was nothing like the sound of falling cymbals to alert someone of a commotion. He focused on the soul, willing him to sleep. He’d done this drill a thousand times with Tyler, but never on his own. It was thrilling, watching as the man’s eyes slowly unfocused, and his legs collapsed under him. Josh was ready, and caught him mid air, before he made too much of a noise hitting the ground. Focusing hard, Josh lowered him to the ground before hunting his room for something he could use to tie the soul up, just in case. He settled on a roll of duct tape, and did his best to ensure there would be no risk, even if the soul were to wake up.

While Josh had worked on neutralising this threat, Titan had been doing work of his own. It sounded as if the fight had moved to the living room, and Josh found himself energised to join it. He threw open his door, no longer worried about concealing himself, and ran towards the living room. Two against two was much more of a fair fight, Josh thought.  

He noted the blood spattered walls of the hallway, and decided he needed to ask Tyler about what sort of treats Titan enjoyed.

He burst into the living room, throwing the female attacker back against the bookshelves as he did so. Her skull connected with a loud crack, and she slumped to the floor. He had to hide his glee at how badass he felt in that moment.

Titan made quick work of the last of their uninvited guests, given all that remained was one severely injured man. Silver blood was spilling across the wooden floors in pools, and it wasn’t long before the man, too, was silent.

The pair stood in their now silent home, creature and soul. Titan began grooming the blood from his fur as Josh watched the intruders in wonder. The leader’s form was beginning to fade, his very being disappearing before Josh’s eyes. Moments later, he was gone. Vanished, just like that. Titan seemed unconcerned by the events as he continued to clean his fur, so Josh assumed it was normal. Or, normal enough. 

The cat leapt to his feet, padding away out of view. He returned seconds later, the roll of duct tape Josh had used earlier gripped in his mouth. He dropped it at Josh’s feet, and it was clear what he was supposed to do. 

“Thanks, man.” Josh smiled at the cat, who let out a gentle “mrow” in return. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally some ACTION

_ Tyler _

Tyler’s interrogation of the two souls Josh had restrained gave them very little information. They were nothing more than dispensable souls, soldiers who were willing to blindly follow orders. They’d genuinely believed that killing Josh would be an easy task, as Ryan had promised them. 

Ryan certainly hadn’t underestimated Tyler, he had sent the souls to scope out exactly how well protected and capable Josh was before Brendon made a real attempt on Josh’s life, or lack thereof. It was clever, really.

While the captured souls had no specific information about those higher up in their organisation, they did know enough about their leader’s goals to be of some interest to Tyler. 

“They’ve lived under control for too long! It’s time for a revolution, time for a change. They’re merciful leaders, above anything we’ve endured for the last hundred years! It’s reapers like you who locked us up, buried us under the ground! Under new leadership, we’re free. Freer than we’d been on earth. They protect us, speak for us. They make sure we’ll never be abused by the likes of you ever again.” The male spat at Tyler’s feet, who made a face as he stepped back. 

“Your ignorance disgusts me.” Tyler waved his hand, and the man’s mouth moved in protest, but no sound came out. 

“How did you find this place?”

“Brendon and Ryan have always known where you are, they were just never brave enough to come here themselves! We volunteered. If we prove we’re strong enough, they’re going to make us like them.” The female spoke with an unwavering voice, her confidence in her leaders undeterred by her now mute partner.

Tyler snorted. He knew what Brendon was after, what his goal was.  _ He _ wanted to be king. He was going to share the spotlight with no one, and he definitely was not going to be promoting lowlife souls such as the ones sat before him into reapers. If Tyler had to guess, the only reason Brendon had bothered to recruit other reapers to his cause was to avoid the inevitable buildup and imbalance of uncollected souls on earth. He was sure it had been easy, everyone was desperate for leadership.

Tyler was the current reigning leader, however. With Death himself still missing, Tyler remained the one entirely independent and freethinking soul. He had been the one running the show, the one who had prevented their entire world falling into chaos. He was a threat to Brendon, but he was too powerful to take on alone. Take out Josh, you’d weaken Tyler. He wasn’t going to blatantly admit his weakness, but he couldn’t deny it, either.

“I’m through with them. There’s nothing more they can tell us. Titan, if you’d please.” 

The souls vanished with nothing more than a quick swipe across their throats.

“I’ll clean up. You, start packing. We’re not staying here.” It wasn’t safe, not anymore. He couldn’t leave him here alone again, he couldn’t take that risk. Josh nodded quickly, hurrying out of the room.

There was no choice, not anymore. Tyler was going to have to face this problem head on. No more running, no more hiding. He needed to take Brendon down before things escalated, before he made any more progress with his already growing empire. 

It was a hive mindset. Take out the queen, the drones simply found a new one. Reapers would fall back in line, and souls would be returned to their rightful places. Balance would be returned, and Josh would be safe.

That’s all that mattered, really.

Tyler cleaned quickly, and it wasn’t long before the floor was sparkling, and all of his books were back on their proper shelves. Josh had emerged from his room with a half full backpack. He didn’t have much he needed to travel with.

Tyler looked around, one last sweep to make sure everything would be in place for their return. He couldn’t allow himself to consider that they could lose, he was going to win this battle. They were going to come home. 

His eyes met the calm red of Titan’s. “Guard the house.” The black cat meowed, dipping his head. Tyler took Josh’s hand in his, and they were gone.

\-----

Tyler took Josh to the only other safe place he knew. If their home was compromised, his choices were limited.

Josh was disguised as best as he could be, but Tyler couldn’t change mask his true appearance without risking other reapers sensing the heavy magic placed on him. He wore a ski mask of Tyler’s, which effectively hid his distinguishable red curls, as well as the rest of his face. With his backpack in tow over top his hoodie, he appeared to be nothing more than a failed burglar that Tyler had been sent to collect.  
  
They approached the gates, and Tyler nodded at Patrick, who let them both through. He’d briefed the reaper on the situation, and he had agreed to help before they left. Patrick had a small group of reapers he swore were trustworthy. They would guard Josh while Tyler was away. He didn’t like it, but he had no other choice. Patrick may trust these people, but that didn’t mean Tyler did. But because he trusted Patrick, he was forced into trusting these reapers as well. 

Josh’s disguise was enough for the reapers who were not in on the plan to pay him no attention. Tyler led him through the winding trees, headed towards the building that housed a majority of Patrick’s captured souls. When the door was in view, he veered sharply to the right. There was a smaller building specifically for the higher ranking reapers a way off the path. It wasn’t as luxurious as the house Tyler shared with Josh, but it was more than most reapers traditionally had. It was only since God had disappeared that they had let up on their workaholic lifestyles.

Josh’s hand found its way into Tyler’s as they approached the cabin. The taller reaper gave it a reassuring squeeze, hoping he wasn’t showing how nervous he was himself. 

The door was opened by a shorter man with long dark hair. Patrick’s right hand man, Pete. “This is Josh Dun?” He nodded at the soul whose hand was still vicelike on Tyler’s. 

“The one and only.” They stepped into the cabin, which was nothing more than a wooden structure with sparse furniture. There was a table in the centre of the room, covered in scattered loose papers and surrounded by an assortment of chairs. 

“We’ll look after him. No one’s getting through Patrick’s defenses. He’ll be safe here.” Pete sounded confident, but Tyler was less sure. Finding Josh had become a fun game, he was a prize to win. Kill Josh, you win the game. Brendon was going to stop at nothing to get his hands on him, especially after he’d made a fool of his scouting souls.

Josh took off his mask as he looked around the room. His curls had been flattened against his head, and he made no move to fix them.

“Josh, this is Pete. He’ll introduce you to the others. I’ll be back, this is only temporary.” Tyler used his last few moments to observe the other man. There was no time for a proper goodbye, no time for speeches. 

He had to win this fight. 

Josh’s warm eyes were full of concern as he looked at Tyler. “Stay safe, okay?” His voice wavered on the last word. Tyler nodded curtly and left before he could be faced with the image of Josh with tears falling. 

\-----

Brendon was waiting for Tyler, Ryan smirking at his side.

“We knew you’d be coming. Welcome, Tyler. What happened to your pet? Little Joshie got left behind?” Brendon taunted. Tyler made no comment as he approached.

“Pity. I would have enjoyed seeing him ripped apart, trying to fight. He’s stronger than I’d thought, but he’s still weak. I can’t believe you thought you could pass him off as a reaper! I mean, I knew you were having a grand time up there on your high horse, but I had no idea how fucking  _ stupid _ you were.” 

Tyler stopped a few feet away, allowing Brendon to continue his monologue. 

“You’ve ruled for far too long, Tyler. Your time is up. The big guy’s never coming back, and I can’t say the reviews have been great for you. Really, thinking we could continue the same way as when sky daddy was in control? It was bound to fail. And it did, you became weak, you lost control. Things started to slip under your not so watchful eye. You were too busy with your little toy to notice your failures.” 

Brendon started to pace, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked. “It’s sad, really, that you were unable to notice your greatest failure of all. You can’t turn a soul into a reaper, Tyler. Josh is an abomination, an affront to everything we noble reapers stand for. Sure, he can collect a soul and he can travel, but what can he do beyond that? Nothing. He was bound to be a failure from the start. He’s weak, can’t you see? He couldn’t keep himself alive on earth, and he’ll do no better in the veil.”

Tyler struck without thinking, his fist connecting with the other reaper’s face. There was a crunching noise, and the man fell to the ground. “Why don’t you do everyone a favour and shut the fuck up? You think tyranny is better than what we have? You think this subjugation is going to last? It won’t, it never will.”

Brendon stood up slowly, grinning after he had moved his jaw back into place. “That’s more like it. You’d gotten soft, complacent. I see no reason why this shouldn’t work. If we functioned under your command, I’m sure we can function just fine under mine. It’s already been working out so well!” 

“Working out, huh? Souls roaming freely, being  _ eaten _ by the ghosts. You’re threatening the natural order. We can’t create a second society, this isn’t earth. There’s not  _ room _ . More souls are going to die than can comfortably occupy the veil.” Tyler protested. He was insane, he was idiotic. The veil would be overrun, it would be pure chaos.

“You’re not seeing the big picture! Too worried about the details. Those are just minor issues, they’ll work themselves out with time. We’ve already got solutions in the works. I think you’d be impressed.” Brendon sounded far too smug for Tyler’s liking. 

“You’ll never be king. This isn’t your world to control. There’s a reason I took the back seat, there’s a reason I set rules and backed off. This isn’t my job, this isn’t my world. It needed a little bit of tweaking, so that’s all I did. I set in a temporary replacement, to wait for the real leaders to return. I changed  _ nothing _ other than where we deliver the souls. You think the big guys are going to take kindly to a couple of lowly reapers trying to control their world?” He laughed. “When they return, and they will, they’d like to see their world as they left it. Their carefully crafted balance, you know that’s something to be maintained. When they return to see the chaos you’ve created, you’re as good as dead.”

Tyler grunted as a blast hit him directly in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He lay on the ground, momentarily dazed. Brendon’s head peered into his line of vision. “They’re not coming back. You know that as well as anyone.”

Tyler got to his feet, his anger building. “If we’re going to fight, he leaves.” He jabbed a finger towards Ryan. “One on one, a fair fight. Winner takes all.”

Brendon shrugged and waved his arm. Ryan nodded obediently and vanished.

“It’s a deal.”

\-----

_  
Josh _

Pete was boring company. He’d immediately left Josh to his own devices, focusing on the papers scattered across the large table in the middle of the cabin, muttering something indistinguishable on occasion. He definitely hadn’t introduced Josh to the other reapers, who were all muttering with him. He had no idea what they were saying, and he didn’t really care much either. 

He settled into a chair of his own and pulled out his sticks, propping his legs up on the table. This earned him a few nasty glares, which he ignored. They were assigned to protect him, they weren’t going to risk angering the boss. He started drumming on his knees, not willing to push his luck by drumming on the table.

What felt like an eternity later, his knees were too sore from the drumsticks repeatedly hitting against them to continue. He sighed and stood up, stretching. He couldn’t calm the nervous feeling in his chest. Where was Tyler right now? What was he doing? Was he okay? 

He said he was coming back, but he never sounded confident when he said so. He had been just as scared as Josh. It was disarming to see the normally confident reaper be so unsure of himself and his actions. 

Josh paced the length of the room, twirling a drumstick with one hand as he walked. He frowned, deep in thought. What would he do if Tyler never came back? What if he wasn’t strong enough? It was clear that Tyler liked to play by the rules, but Brendon did not. What if Brendon pulled something that Tyler wasn’t prepared for? He would fight dirty, which Tyler might not be expecting. What if –

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. All heads in the room turned towards the sound, and Pete rose from his chair. “It’s Patrick.” He said calmly, turning the handle to greet the blonde man. 

It was not Patrick.

Pete slammed into the wall opposite the door, the rest of the reapers staring open mouthed at the sudden attack. They jumped into action immediately after, but they were too little too late. Reapers and souls alike were streaming through the door, causing immediate chaos in the small cabin. Patrick’s reapers, Josh’s guards, were quickly overwhelmed. Josh scrambled against a wall, fearing the worst. If they were here, that could only mean one thing. Tyler was dead, Tyler was gone. He’d lost, and Brendon was king now. 

He was shaking violently, partially hidden by a pillar that supported the structure. Tyler was gone, he was dead. There was no reason for Josh to live, to exist. He didn’t react when a hand closed roughly around his arm, yanking him forward. He didn’t have the energy to fight. The only person he cared for in this shitty situation he found himself in was gone, forever. The only being in this entire god damned veil who cared about  _ him _ was gone. Everyone else was out to kill him, or to throw him in a hole. He was nothing to them. 

He was too lost in his grief to realise he was no longer amidst the chaos in the cabin. There was definitely fighting going on nearby, though. He could feel the magic lingering in the air, powerful magic. It was a suffocating reminder of Tyler.

His Tyler, his beautifully dangerous Tyler. 

“Get the fuck up.” Ryan growled in his ear, making Josh jump. He scrambled to his feet, trying to prevent his arms from being ripped from their sockets. His wrists were bound behind his back, and Ryan was pulling them up to force him into standing. 

“Stand down, Tyler. I have your pet. One more move against Brendon, and he’s gone.” 

Josh looked up at the name, he couldn’t help himself. Relief flooded through his body, and he felt his knees go weak. Ryan’s strong grip kept him standing.

Tyler was there, he was alive. But this was not a Tyler Josh knew. This Tyler was dangerous, terrifying. His eyes glowed red, they were nothing like the soft brown Josh loved so much. His hands, although covered in black paint, resembled claws more than anything. Something thick and black was spreading from a wound in his chest, and splattered across the ground. Blood, he realised. Reaper blood. He was hurt.

He turned abruptly, facing Josh. “No.” The colour drained from his eyes, leaving them dark and scared.

“You thought you could hide him. It was all too easy to find him. Big scary Tyler isn’t so scary after all. Outsmarted, twice in a row. Shame on you.” Ryan tsked, and Josh felt the cool touch of a blade against his neck as his head was pulled back. He didn’t dare to breathe for fear of the knife cutting into his skin.

“Stop!” There was desperation in Tyler’s voice as he called out. He was stuck, helpless. No matter what he did, Josh was dead. For real, this time.

“Relax, we’d never kill him in such a mundane way.” Brendon reassured Tyler. “We’ve found a much more efficient way to dispose of souls that aren’t needed.

“What the fuck are you talking about.”

“Oh, Tyler you’re in for a treat. I told you you’d be impressed, and it’s time for me to uphold my word. We’ve been working on this one for a while. Surprised you never caught on!” 

Tyler’s eyes flicked from Brendon, to Ryan, to Josh, trying to assess the situation. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard that the soul is a flame. A body is nothing without the soul, but the soul can exist without the body. A beautiful shining light. So bright, even their blood reflects that idea.” 

Josh tried not to yell out as he felt the knife cut into his skin, something wet now trickling down his neck.

“His blood shows who he truly is, Tyler. He’s no reaper, look at him. He has the shining blood of a soul. He has the fire, that light that reapers do not. Coming back to that, it’s where this idea originated. We like to call it ‘extinguishing’ snuffing out that flame. See, if you can suffocate a soul’s flame, it simply dies. Fades away. No mess, no fuss. Of course, that’s no fun all the time. Easier, but rather boring.” 

Josh was starting to freak out. He had a feeling he knew where this was leading. Oh, god. They were going to kill him. They were going to kill him and they were going to make Tyler watch. 

“It’s simple, like putting an animal to sleep. They close their eyes, and they’re gone, just like that. Of course, that’s boring to watch. We like to put on a show, don’t we, Ryan?”    
  
The knife left Josh’s neck, slashing the ties on his wrists as Ryan moved away. Josh moved his newly freed hands to his throat to check the damage, his fingers coming away slick with blood. He winced, but allowed himself a breath of relief. 

His breath caught in his throat as something pierced his side. He doubled over, hands moving to his side. Ryan withdrew his blade, a cruel smirk on his face. As Josh fell to his knees, hands gripped his head like a vice, unyielding. His attempts to claw the hands away grew weaker as his head felt like it was filling with fog. He couldn’t move his body, and his hands fell limply to his sides. His vision faded, replaced by a peaceful and calm blackness.

The fog clouded his mind, covering it like a blanket. It was warm, and comfortable. Like a freshly made bed, it beckoned to him, inviting him to rest.   
  
He knew what was happening.

Josh tried to hold on, to fight. It was too difficult, there was no fighting it. His pain in the waking world was too great, the temptation of sleep too powerful. It would be as easy as falling asleep. He could fall into this embrace, sink into the comfort. He knew that if he just let go, there would be no more pain. 

He was ready, he thought. If this was dying,  _ really _ dying, it wasn’t so bad. It was less terrifying than the last time, when he hadn’t known where he was going to end up. He’d been too worried about Heaven or Hell the first time. But now, he knew this was the real end. He would simply cease to exist, and he was okay with that. There was nothing for him to worry about, not anymore. 

He thought a final goodbye, hoping the message would be received. Tyler, oh how he would miss Tyler. He hoped he was able to go this peacefully, this comfortably. 

_ I love you Tyler. _

He was preparing himself to let go, allowing himself to feel for the last time. He felt the hands wrapped around his head leave, heard faint yells and snaps as he simply drifted into comfort. He felt his body drop to the ground, but he had no will to ever stand it back up.

_  
Tyler _

Tyler watched helplessly as Ryan’s long fingers wrapped around Josh’s head. Josh’s hair was blood red against Ryan’s pale skin. Nothing happened at first, just Josh gasping in pain from the wound in his side. Tyler longed to rush to him, but it was too risky, not this early. He kept his feet planted, going against every fibre of his being that told him to run to the soul. If he moved now, they would kill him as well. 

Though nothing had appeared to happen at first, it wasn’t long before Josh’s eyes started to glaze over. They stared blankly at Tyler, no recognition, no life left in them. 

Tyler felt as if his heart had been torn through his chest. Everything he had loved, everything he had treasured had been ripped from him, all in the name of power. He screamed, all of his grief, all of his agony echoing in the sound. He hurled himself at Ryan, no longer caring if he got hurt. If Josh was gone, there was no reason for him to stay. 

He tackled the other reaper, forcing him away from Josh. He fell to the ground and did not move. Tyler forced his attention back to Ryan, who was preparing to attack back. Tyler moved first, grabbing Ryan around the head and twisting sharply. There was a loud snap, and the lanky reaper fell, unmoving. 

The shorter enraged reaper now turned to face Brendon, who was crouching low and ready. His teeth were bared in anger, but his anger was no match for Tyler’s. 

“You’re going to fucking die.” 

He threw his everything into the fight, striking out with more force than he knew he was capable of. He was blind with rage, fuelled by grief. He knew he was screaming, but he wasn’t sure what he was saying, if anything. Brendon was taken aback, not ready for the sudden intensity of their battle. He sent everything he had at his opponent, but Tyler felt nothing. Josh was dead, and there was nothing left for him here. Nothing could hurt him, nothing could cause him more pain than what he had just witnessed.

A fresh wave of anger rode over him. He sent Brendon flying away from him, into a tree. He fell against it, but recovered quickly. Brushing away splintered wood, he charged at Tyler, who had his back turned. 

With a strangled yell, he whirled around, forcing his arm straight into Brendon’s chest. There was a series of crunches, and Tyler’s arm was covered in thick black blood. He pulled his hand back, leaving a ragged hole in the other reaper’s chest. His mouth was open in a small “o” of surprise. He fell to the ground ungracefully, and did not move again.

Tyler collapsed as well, exhausted. But he couldn’t rest, not yet. He had to be sure. He had to confirm it for himself, he had to know if Josh was truly gone. His body had not yet faded. There was hope, there was a tiny, infinitesimal chance that he was still alive.

There was also the chance that his spirit body was alive, but his mind was gone. Tyler wasn’t going to think about that. Josh was not going to become a ghost, he couldn’t.

Josh was bleeding heavily from his wound, the thick silvery liquid that seeped from injured souls spilling onto the ground. It mixed with the dark blood dripping from Tyler in a swirled contrast as he crawled over, praying to an absent God that he was still alive. He placed a hand gently on the soul’s chest, fearing the worst. He didn’t know how much a soul could bleed before the damage was irreversible, but the amount spreading in a pool around Josh was not promising. 

Josh still hadn’t released the habit of breathing, despite not needing to, but his chest was now still. Whether it was from shock or something far worse, Tyler couldn’t be sure. He shook the soul gently, not knowing what else to do, and was flooded with short lived relief when Josh’s eyes fluttered open. 

“Hey, Ty,” Josh greeted weakly, the smallest of smiles crossing his face before his eyes rolled back in his head and he was unconscious once more. 

Left alone on the battlefield, Tyler dropped his head, allowing the sobs to overtake his body for the first time in a millennium.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just one more chapter left after this (^:

_ Josh _

Everything  _ hurt _ . His body alternated between freezing, and being immersed in flames. His head felt full of cotton, with a great building pressure that did not seem to ease. There were times when he thought he felt he was not alone. A gentle hand checking his wounds, or brushing the hair from his eyes. A soft raspy voice occasionally cut through his thoughts, but he was unable to make out what it said. Though it brought him comfort, the apparent company was unable to touch what was happening inside. 

Josh wasn’t sure of who he was. He didn’t know where he was, but he remembered every second of what had happened to him. He was reminded by the pressure in his head, the pain in his torso. 

Memories flashed through his head. The lifeless glint in Ryan’s black eyes as he buried a knife deep into Josh’s abdomen, the sound of Tyler’s screams as Josh was paralysed by his own agony. 

He missed Tyler. The reaper was constant companion in his thoughts, a small flame burning away the cotton in his head, the pressure residing with the smoke. He didn’t know if he was dead or alive. He had been bleeding when Josh was brought to the battle. Even if he had defeated Brendon and Ryan, there was the chance he hadn’t survived his wounds. With no one around to help him, he would have been on his own. Josh hoped Tyler was okay.

He couldn’t stay here in this void, feeling everything, yet feeling nothing. But, he also could not leave. The pain was still too great, he knew he would quickly succumb to if if he were to wake up. 

He let his mind wander as far as it could, despite his thoughts frequently being pulled back to a physical reality. He was tired, so very tired. He didn’t think he was awake, but he wanted to go to sleep. Sleep cures everything, he thought. He would rest for now, and hope that Tyler’s fire would clear his mind when he woke again. 

Just before releasing his mind into the dark, he thought he felt something press against his forehead, but he had once again slipped too far away to remember. 

\-----

Josh opened his eyes with tremendous effort. He hadn’t been entirely sure that it would work, or that he even  _ had  _ eyes. He did still have his eyes, of course. They were greeted with familiarity, with home. The lighting was dim, but it still hurt him. Ignoring the pain that shot through his head, his eyes roamed across his surroundings.

It was his room, but it was different. For one, he was resting in a bed. Josh definitely hadn’t owned a bed prior to the fight. One of the chairs from the living room had been pushed into his room, and was positioned near to his bed. The setup reminded him of a hospital, save for the drums still occupying one corner. 

The chair was empty now, but he had a feeling he knew who usually occupied it. If he was here, in this home, that meant Tyler had won. Tyler was alive. He was sure of it, not a doubt in his mind. It had been the reaper that had been by his side, brushing the hair away from his face and checking his injuries. It had been Tyler who had fallen to his side at the start, checking him for signs of life that he had been too weak to offer. It had been Tyler’s voice that he heard speaking to him. 

Josh wasn’t sure if he had imagined that. He was grateful it had been real.

With great relief at this thought, Josh got to work taking inventory of his body. He felt no pain, no discomfort. It was as if the endless void of hurt and nothingness he’d escaped from had never existed at all. He was left with nothing but memories, warped and confusing memories that clouded his mind, but physically, nothing. 

Two arms, two hands, check. He wiggled his ten fingers in front of his face, ensuring that his two eyes were indeed still there. 

He ran his hands over his face. It still felt like him, and he took that as good enough. He tugged on his hair, straightening a curl to a length that he could see it in front of him. Faded, but still red. 

He threw off the blankets and swung his two legs over the side of the bed. Two feet rested against the ground. Ten toes, for balance. He stood up. He didn’t fall. 

He stood still for a moment, allowing himself to absorb the moment. He didn’t know how long he had felt like he had been floating in nothingness, but he felt solid now. He wanted to enjoy the feeling before it faded back into normality. 

The door opened, and Josh turned. His eyes met Tyler’s, who was now standing frozen in the doorway. He was staring, wide eyed and mouth open at Josh, who smiled sheepishly. 

He didn’t know what to say, and opted for a small wave and a gentle “Hey.”

Josh wasn’t sure how Tyler moved across the room so quickly. He crashed into the soul, nearly knocking him off his feet. His mouth collided roughly with Josh’s. His heart leapt into his throat, and he felt dizzy with adrenaline. 

Tyler was kissing him. Here, in his room, in their house. Tyler was alive, Josh was alive. They were here, now, together. 

He’d never kissed anyone before, not while he was alive. He seemed to know what to do, instinctively. Tyler, on the other hand,  _ definitely _ knew what to do.  Though the kiss was desperate, Tyler’s movements were deliberate. Josh was terrified he was going to moan, or do something equally as incriminating to embarrass himself. 

Deciding he would give a shot at taking charge of the present situation, he pressed a hand against the reaper’s back, bringing them closer together with a small groan, though he wasn’t sure who it had come from. He didn’t think he had ever felt this high. He knew his feelings for Tyler, but he had never imagined someone as him would feel the same in return. There had been moments where he had allowed himself to hope, when he noticed brown eyes lingering for just a second too long, or when Tyler insisted they held hands for a trip Josh knew he could handle on his own. 

He never would have allowed himself to think that he would be here, like this, Tyler’s hand gripping his shoulder, the other resting tangled in his hair. Fireworks were exploding in Josh’s chest. Tyler was his world, his everything. And maybe, just maybe, the same applied for him. He lost himself in the moment, never wanting to forget this feeling. 

When they pulled apart, Josh’s legs felt shaky, and Tyler wouldn’t look Josh in the eye. He kept his gaze downwards, his chin nearly tucked into his shoulder. It took Josh a moment to realise the reaper was… crying? 

Josh was immediately filled with concern. Had there been a mistake? Did something happen? Had he not actually intended to kiss Josh?

Had Josh hurt him?

“Ty? Are you alright?” He questioned. 

Tyler nodded his head, easing some of Josh’s worries. It was a few seconds more before the reaper spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

Josh pulled Tyler into a hug. He expected the reaper to push him away, to tell him he was fine, but he instead buried his face against Josh’s shoulder. He was shaking slightly, but his arms were strong as they wrapped around Josh. 

“Hey, hey, I’m here, aren’t I? I feel great, Ty, like nothing even happened. It’s okay, it’s okay.” With a moment’s hesitation, he brought his hand to the back of Tyler’s head, gently stroking his hair. Josh’s heart ached. He was okay, for once, but Tyler wasn’t.   
  


_ Tyler _

Tyler had cried more in the last few weeks than he had in his entire existence. If you had told him even a few years ago that he would be held against an extraordinary soul, tears soaking into his jacket, he surely would have thought you out of your mind. 

He’d staggered back to their home, Josh held across his shoulders. They were both too injured to travel very far at once, and Tyler had been forced to move in small sections. He knew he himself was barely surviving, and wouldn’t make it much longer without help. 

There was no one to help him. Most of his magic had been depleted in the fight, he needed time to recover. He had to focus everything he had on getting Josh back safely, there was no time to call for someone. He did his best to staunch his own bleeding, and made an attempt to avoid stressing his wounds more than was necessary to carry Josh. 

It took hours of travelling to arrive in the doorway that typically took a split second jump. Tyler set Josh on the ground as gently as he could and collapsed next to him. He remained on the ground, too weak to move. He felt something press against his back, and a moment of warmth and strength surged through him. 

He rolled onto his back, allowing Titan to step gently onto an uninjured bit of his stomach, sniffing at his wounds. Tyler had not been this badly hurt in a long time, and he could only hope Titan knew what to do. The strength that the cat had lent to him faded, and Tyler found himself in and out of a state of nonexistence, barely able to hope that his cat would be able to heal him in time to help Josh. 

\-----

Tyler blinked open his eyes, finding himself to still be lying in his hallway. He felt better, stronger. He still ached, but he knew it would fade with time. He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, putting all his thoughts onto Josh, who was still lying sprawled next to the reaper.

The soul had not woken up again, not after his initial greeting, way back at the fight. Tyler had no way of knowing if he was still there, if he would ever wake up. His only comfort came from the fact that Josh’s spirit hadn’t faded. His being was still whole, solid. He wasn’t sure how long he himself had been out for, but if Josh was still here, he had the tiniest shred of hope left. 

He couldn’t leave him here, unconscious on the ground, but there was nowhere else to put him. Leaving Josh on the couch like last time would hurt too much, Tyler didn’t think he would be able to stand to see him in this state like that. 

That, and he wanted Josh to be comfortable, just in case he was still aware of what was happening around him. He decided to set up Josh’s room with a bed, and leave him there. There was a chance Josh would never wake up, that Ryan had done too much damage to his mind. His physical body could remain intact, but his mind could be forever shattered. He didn’t want to think about that. 

He allowed himself only a few minutes to retrieve what he would need, gathering nothing but the most essential items. He couldn’t risk spending any more time away from the soul, just in case.

It was with a heavy heart that Tyler moved Josh into the newly made bed, pulling the covers up over him and attempting to position him comfortably. There were a few times where Josh made a noise, but did not wake up. Each time Tyler’s hopes soared, only to be crushed seconds later when Josh remained unresponsive. 

Tyler tried to distract himself. He played piano until his hands ached, he strummed his ukulele until he was sure his fingers were going to bleed, he wrote page after page of lyrics. Nothing helped, nothing was enough. The thought of losing Josh was too much, he couldn’t hold it inside. The fear and pain overflowed down his cheeks, leaving him feeling drained when it ceased. It blurred his eyes to the point he couldn’t see his hands on the keys in front of him. His hands trembled and missed the notes.

For the first few days, he avoided going into Josh’s room at all costs. He wouldn’t so much as allow himself to walk past the door. He kept himself locked in his room, busying himself with what he had in there. The idea of seeing him lying unconscious in his bed, as if in a hospital, was too much for him to bear. 

On the fourth day, the pull was too strong. He missed Josh. He needed to see him, even if it would hurt. This felt like a big day, a big deal. He showered, watching as all of the dirt and blood that had been covering him circled down the drain. He changed into fresh clothes, feeling much more prepared to face what was behind the door opposite the bathroom. 

When he opened the door, nothing happened. The room was quiet, there was no response to his entrance. He didn’t know what he had expected, but he felt the last of his hopes deflate. Of course nothing had happened, he’d been foolish to think anything would have. 

Josh was still in the same position Tyler had left him in, though his hair had fallen slightly into his eyes. Tyler brushed the red curls back with a gentle hand. He stepped back, watching for signs of life, hoping. He felt a bit awkward, just standing and watching. He left to the living room, returning moments later with a chair in tow. He settled it near to the bed, close enough that he could keep a careful eye out, but not so close that he felt weird about it. 

And that is where Tyler remained. Sometimes he would leave for a break, to stretch or to find a new book, or just to mess around on one of his instruments. He didn’t hurt as much anymore. Josh’s presence was a great comfort to him, even as he was. Tyler felt calmer in this room, with the physical reassurance that Josh was still around. He still needed the occasional break, though. Some time away to clear his mind from the thoughts that had a tendency to pile up when he allowed himself to think. 

As a result of the buildup, Tyler found himself talking to Josh, even though it was likely the soul couldn’t hear him at all. He told him everything about himself, talking so much that he brought up memories he had forgotten he had. His whole life story, from the time he was created all the way up to where he was now. All of his struggles, his successes, his hopes, his fears. He told them all to Josh, not minding whether or not he heard, or if he would remember if he did. 

It helped, talking. It cleared his head, helped him sort out his thoughts. He had been alone for so long, he had forgotten what it was like to share yourself with others. The more he talked at Josh, the more weight he felt lifting from his shoulders. He felt lighter than he had in centuries. 

Had they not ended up in this situation, Tyler doubted he would have ever been brave enough to admit to himself how he felt about Josh. He needed the soul in his life, more than he had needed anything else before. He loved him, truly loved him. He was annoying, but he was endearing. He made Tyler smile, he made him proud. He kept him on his toes, always offering something new. 

Most important, he made Tyler incredibly, undeniably happy. 

He stood up and stretched, Titan mimicking his movements beside him. He checked Josh before he left, smoothing the blankets and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. He had taken to doing that recently. The first time had sent butterflies exploding in his stomach. He hoped that it would let Josh know he was there, that he was rooting for him. He didn’t know if it worked, but it helped him to feel at peace, so he continued with the ritual every time he left the room for any amount of time. 

It had been twenty three days since the fight. Tyler was gradually losing hope that Josh was going to wake up. He still had hope, he was still trying everything he could. Titan was more often than not found sat next to Josh, using his own abilities to attempt to coax even the smallest sliver of consciousness into the soul. The cat had for sure healed all of his physical wounds, which had made Tyler feel a tiny bit better. 

He wandered towards the kitchen, a rarely used room in the house. He leaned over the sink, staring blindly down it’s drain. He sighed and turned on the tap, splashing his face with water. He didn’t want to admit it, but he didn’t think Josh was going to ever come back. It had been more than 3 weeks, he should have been better by now. He didn’t know exactly what Ryan had done, but it was becoming apparent that the damage was far beyond anything Tyler knew reapers were capable of. 

He messed about in the living room, reorganising his shelves by author, then by colour, then by genre. He couldn’t go back in, not yet. Tears were streaming down his face once again, and he swiped at them angrily with his sleeve. He had to pull it together, he couldn’t be near Josh like this. If Josh was there, he had to think Tyler was strong. He couldn't know he was losing hope, giving up on him. 

He sniffled one last time and wiped his nose unceremoniously on his sleeve. He’d change later, it wasn’t as if it mattered now. He went back to the kitchen sink, splashing his face with cool water once again. He shuffled back to Josh’s room, ready to resume his post. 

He turned the door handle slowly, trying to rekindle a bit of hope. Comas in humans lasted longer than three weeks, there was still a chance. He held onto this thought as hard as he could as he pushed open the door. 

The small fire of hope that Tyler had built died when he walked into the room. His mouth fell open, and he stood frozen. Josh grinned his goofy smile and waved. 

Tyler thought he was going to pass out.

Existence as a reaper was strange. Reapers may seem like they know all, what with the deciding people’s fate and such, but the truth was quite the opposite. There hadn’t been much in Tyler’s life that he knew to be absolutely certain. Anything he had believed in had been, at one point or another, proven to be nothing but a fallacy. 

But not this, not this feeling. There were no second guesses or doubts when Josh moved to bring them closer together. He brought his own hand to the back of Josh’s head, tangling his fingers in curls that had faded to a pale red. This was the action that grounded him, a fresh set of emotions overpowering the adrenaline coursing through his body. 

The powerful Tyler, reduced to tears yet again over an ordinary soul.

An extraordinary soul. 

Tyler pulled away from Josh before he noticed. He felt the ghost of his hand on his back, wishing they could have continued. He could have lived the rest of his existence in that moment. 

Tyler kept his head tilted down, stupidly hoping he would be able to hide what would be impossible to not see. 

He barely held it together when Josh questioned if he was alright . He hated the worry in his voice. He was the strong one, he was the everlasting reaper. He had no weakness, nothing could defeat him. Nonetheless, he found himself nearly incapable of speaking. His voice came out in a strained whisper. He was glad he was looking down so he didn’t have to see whatever expression crossed the soul’s face.

He admitted defeat in the arms of Joshua Dun, releasing all of his safeguards for the first time he could remember. The soul holding him in place was an anchor, a rock in the endless sea that Tyler hadn’t realised he had been treading for eons. With his head tucked under Josh’s chin, he was finally able to rest. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and this is it. the first fic ive ever managed to finish writing and not abandon. i truly hope you've enjoyed it <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is it, the first fic ive ever managed to finish writing and not abandon. i truly hope you've enjoyed it <3

Whatever had happened during the month that Tyler and Josh had been locked away in their own world, it must have been extraordinary, because what was soon to happen was not to be expected for another few hundred years. 

They had been relaxing in the living room, Josh absentmindedly tapping against his legs as Tyler scribbled in his notebook, Titan napping at their feet. The past week had been healing, full of soft laughter, gentle kisses, and playful challenges. They’d invented a myriad of new games, doing their best to slowly recover their magic. Tyler’s had nearly fully recovered, but Josh’s took a bit longer, as was to be expected. 

Tyler had never felt so at ease in his life, he felt a sort of peace he had never before experienced. It had settled deep into him, allowing a form of relaxation he wished would never leave him. He knew Josh felt the same, after a life, and afterlife, of suffering and agony, their current life was bliss. This is surely what people imagined when they thought of the afterlife, this was their heaven.

Neither of them were surprised when the trance was broken on that afternoon, an enormous surge of magic coursing through the room like a wave. Josh’s eyes moved to meet Tyler’s, both of them knowing what it meant.

There was no explaining how they knew, they simply did. They had thought everything to be perfect, but a piece they hadn’t known was missing had just fallen into place. 

“They’re back.” Was all that Tyler had said. 

And so they were. Heaven and Hell were open once more.

They were silent for a few more moments, allowing themselves to bask in the last few minutes of their peace. Things were about to change, as things always inevitably did. Whether it be for better or for worse, they did not know. 

“I guess we better go see what the big guy has to say.” Tyler suggested, feeling an odd sort of melancholy. He wasn’t ready to leave this yet, but he was excited for a chance at a future where Josh could join him as a fully fledged reaper. 

Josh nodded, leaning back in his chair once more. “I’d think we should give him a bit longer to sort things out, I imagine he has more than a few others lining up to speak to him already.”

Tyler grinned, happy to remain in their own little world for a bit longer. “You know, I think you’re right. I’m not big on queues.” 

There was nothing wrong with giving themselves a few more days of vacation, right?

\-----

__Josh  
  
  
If you had travelled back to a younger Josh, and told him where he would be now, he would have never believed you. No matter what proof you brought him, or what stories you told, he would have stubbornly crossed his arms and insisted you were lying. 

Not that younger Josh would have a reaction different from any other person, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would believe that their future self would be in love with a reaper in the afterlife. Not Heaven, not Hell, just the afterlife, peacefully existing in the veil. 

Past Josh, especially as a child, would have found the story fascinating. Tales of absent gods, of violent battles, and of magnificent returns would have left him captivated. 

Josh imagined that if you tried to tell anyone they could become a reaper after death, if you only had the right being after your soul, they wouldn’t believe you. In fact, if you told this fact to other reapers, they likely wouldn’t believe you either. For reapers were hand selected by God himself, or by Satan if that was where you happened to be destined. 

The art of training reapers had thought to be dead long ago. With no one to officially certify a reaper while the great powers were away, most gave up on any form of training. 

It was practically impossible, it would take a miracle to train a soul into a reaper, they said. 

Josh was a miracle, of course. The magic that now coursed through him was proof, as was his story. 

It hadn’t taken much on Tyler’s part to convince God, yes,  _ the _ God, to grant Josh full reaper status. As it turned out, Tyler had been downplaying exactly how important he was in the grand scheme of things. They hadn’t even needed to schedule an appointment with heaven’s front desk. Josh was grateful for this, he had heard the waiting list was decades long. 

Tyler had walked up to the gates, his signature black paint once again smeared across his hands and neck, and spoken a few hushed words with the stationed angel. It’s eyes had gone wide, and they were promptly escorted to see the guy in charge. 

Frankly, Josh had never expected to meet God. At this point, however, he didn’t think anything could surprise him anymore. Of course he was meeting God, it was only natural. He was sure it wouldn’t be long before he encountered Satan as well.

The big event had happened so quickly, he could hardly remember it. Tyler said this was intentional, to prevent other from making botched attempts at certifying reapers of their own. 

All he knew was, he walked into the office a soul, and walked out a full reaper. 

He expected to feel different, but he had to admit, he felt much the same. Maybe a bit stronger, and a bit smarter, but more or less, he was still the same Josh he had always been.

Josh’s heart soared when Tyler pulled him in for a kiss as they exited the gates. He was smiling ear to ear after, a sight that had become less and less rare with every passing day they spent together. “You fucking did it.” Josh grinned back just as widely. “I fucking did it.”

They grasped hands, Josh not minding that his own would be quickly smeared with black. Josh was met with Tyler’s gaze when he glanced over, a familiar mischievous glint in the brown eyes. “How about we go collect some souls? For real, this time.”

Josh leaned over to give the second reaper a kiss on the cheek, ignoring the way Tyler pretended to wipe off the gesture of affection in disgust. “Disgusting, we’re in Heaven, Josh.” 

“Good thing God’s not homophobic, then.” Josh leaned back in, but was easily evaded by Tyler. 

“People are dying out there, Josh. We’ve got work to do.” He easily recognised the lack of sincerity in Tyler’s voice. 

  
Josh rolled his eyes, but smiled smugly when he felt the brush of lips against his own cheek. 

“I knew you couldn’t resist.” He glanced over to Tyler, who rolled his own eyes in response. 

“Shut up.” Tyler fought back a smile as he adjusted his grip on Josh’s hand. He would never tire of the feeling.

Bright curls coordinated with red socks as the duo headed towards their next adventure, an eternity stretching before them as they vanished into nothing, stepping through a door only the two of them could see. 


End file.
